Twist of Fate
by Ookima
Summary: Sasuke left the Village. A team Shikamaru decided upon was sent after him. Now they still have to face 2 great enemies. They will do anything in order to get him back. But at what cost...
1. Default Chapter

Twist of Fate Chapter 1 : Retreat  
  
Synopsis : Kiba, Naruto and Shikamaru catch up to Sasuke and the ninjas as the battle starts to regain their former comrades.  
  
Pairings : Unknown for now. Suggestions are welcomed  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Timeline :  
  
- This takes place when Shikamaru, and the team he created went after the 4 Ninjas that took Sasuke with them. In other words it's right after Neji finished his battle with his opponent in Manga Volume 22 Chapter 198.  
  
- Sasuke was NOT put in the wooden barrel to begin with  
  
- Sakon is one of the four ninjas under Orochimaru's command. He's the ninja that seems to have two bodies of some sort ( Chapter 200 )  
  
- Kimimaro is another one part of the four ninjas under Orochimaru's command, also appears in ( chapter 201 ) if you want more information.  
  
- To me, all underlings of Orochimaru are male, so sorry if they were any females that I wasn't able to spot.  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- Kagemane no Jutsu – Shadow Copy Skill : Allows the user to control their own shadow, changing it to any shape they wish, and extending/shortening it inside a certain radius. When the shadow contacts the opponents shadow, it combines the two, making the opponent do anything the user does. The shadow can also latch onto multiple targets Yet, the jutsu has a time limit.  
  
- Gatsuuga - Piercing Fang : Powerful Taijutsu attack, where the user spins at the opponent with amazing speed, in an attempt to cut and scratch them with claws, fangs, etc. Performed better with two or more people/animals.  
  
- Juujuin Bunshin - Beast Human Clone : Used in combination with an animal partner. Chakra is used to reform the animal into an exact replica of the human - or vice versa, with the human becoming an animal. A loss of power in the transformed body - will cause a revert into the original self.  
  
- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Skill : A forbidden jutsu, that creates clones - which are not just plain illusions (like the normal bunshin no jutsu). Each clone is an exact replica of the user, capable of attacking. A direct hit causes the clone to disappear.  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- naruhodo = I see -  
  
- Itai = Ouch -  
  
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn  
  
All notes concerning future reviews will be replied at the bottom of the story.  
  
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*Deep in the forest*  
  
The team continued to chase after the two remaining ninjas that held Sasuke captive.  
  
Chouji and Neji had decided to stay behind and fight their opponent, so that the team could continue ahead and catch up before it was too late.  
  
Only, Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto were left to retrieve Sasuke from Orochimaru's underlings.  
  
The boys came to a stop since they were very close to their original target.  
  
Shikamaru landed ahead of the boys as he prepared to explain the plan he had thought up.  
  
"Why the hell are we stopping for!?" Naruto demanded an answer  
  
"Discuss the plan I thought up" Shikamaru answered with a serious look  
  
"Get it over with already then! We reach them, we grab Sasuke, we get the hell out of there, and pick up Neji and your fat buddy along the way." Kiba stated as Akamaru barked  
  
"Look, there's three of us, and two of them. It's most likely that the two of them are the strongest among the original four we encountered. It's most likely that they'll sense us the moment we are too close, so a surprise attack isn't possible." Shikamaru started to explain  
  
"Then what the hell are we suppose to do then genius!" Kiba asked  
  
"Do something unexpected. Simply catch up, and walk to them. From there I'm guessing, it will be one on one and two on one. Hopefully we'll be able to pull it off." Shikamaru replied  
  
"There's something you forgot Shikamaru" Naruto let out  
  
"I thought just about every option I doubt I forgot something Naruto" Shikamaru replied  
  
"Sasuke won't allow us to help him in any way. He'd rather die before getting help from the dobe too." Naruto stated  
  
"Naruto's right, after all, Sasuke did go with them willingly." Kiba commented  
  
"It's your call Naruto." Shikamaru informed the blond  
  
"Leave Sasuke to me." Naruto told the other two boys  
  
After Shikamaru talked more about the plan, the other two boys nodded as they understood what each of them should do once they arrive on the scene.  
  
"Let's go" Shikamaru ordered as he took the point to lead his team  
  
Kiba and Naruto soon followed as they continued their pursuit.  
  
"I'm getting you back Sasuke, one way or another" Naruto mentally told himself  
  
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*Further Ahead in the Forest*  
  
The two ninjas that were left stopped in their tracks, as Sasuke landed next to them.  
  
"What is it?" Sasuke asked  
  
"It seems that three managed to pass by our comrades." One of them said  
  
"Sasuke-kun, we'll take care of this small matter, so if you would be kind enough to simply stand aside and just watch." The other ninja requested out of the Uchiha  
  
Sasuke growled a little but nodded to show he agreed. The tall ninja stepped forward, as the other stood by Sasuke's side.  
  
Moments after, three young boys appeared before the enemy and Sasuke, as Shikamaru took the point.  
  
To his left stood Kiba and Akamaru, to his right stood Naruto. All three glared at the ninjas, as Naruto's eyes looked at Sasuke for a few seconds to confirm how his rival was.  
  
Sakon stepped forward, as Kimimaro stayed by Sasuke's side, but made sure to keep an eye out on the all the boys.  
  
"I'm surprised you made it this far brats." Sakon commented with a smile  
  
"You shouldn't underestimate my team" Shikamaru stated with a serious expression  
  
"It doesn't matter, we're three, you're team is three as well. Fortunate for us, all we need is me to get rid of all three of you." Shakon commented as he prepared to attack  
  
"Time to start the plan, you all know what to do" Shikamaru murmured to his comrades as he joined his hands together  
  
Naruto and Kiba nodded, as Akamaru barked to let his presence known.  
  
Shikamaru performed hand seals, as Kagemane no Jutsu to try and capture the shadow of his enemy.  
  
Shakon jumped out of range immediately, as his focus was only on Shikamaru.  
  
Kiba took this opportunity to feed something to his dog, Akamaru.  
  
Naruto performed is main skill, as he placed his hands together to perform Kage Bunshin No Jutsu.  
  
Two Naruto clones appeared, as each one took it's place next to naruto's side.  
  
"You'll need more than simple tricks to defeat me!" Shakon stated  
  
"It's our turn now Akamaru!" Kiba yelled out as his dog jumped on the boy's back and growled  
  
The pill that Kiba gave to his dog was so he could transform into an exact replica of his master. Akamaru, became a perfect copy of Kiba, as both leaned forward and prepared to attack.  
  
Kiba had used the Juujuin Bunshin in order to accomplish this.  
  
"Come and face your deaths then" Shakon teased as he waited  
  
"That's our cue boy!" Kiba told his dog, as this one barked  
  
They immediately charged forward as they started to perform Gatsuuga. Both boy and dog spinned at great speed towards their opponent.  
  
Shakon never moved from his spot, as his curse seal started to appear across his face, similar to Sasuke's curse seal.  
  
As Shakon was surrounded by Kiba's and his dog's attack, he simply smiled and within one strong movement, he caught the wrist of both Kibas.  
  
"NANI!?" Kiba let out as his eyes widened  
  
Both Kibas were thrown towards Shikamaru and Naruto with such force, that despite the fact that both Kibas had landed on hands and feet, this only slowed them down a bit until their backs slammed against the base of a tree.  
  
"Naruto with me" Shikamaru ordered as he grabbed kunais in both hands  
  
All three Naruto followed Shikamaru's lead, as he through the kunais. Unfortunately Shakon easily blocked the kunais as he started to perform seals of his own.  
  
The two Naruto clones moved ahead of the real one, as they stopped in their tracks.  
  
They grabbed each other's hands tightly, as the original Naruto jumped on their hands. With their strength, they pushed Naruto up and forward to Shakon, as Shikamaru started to perform his own seals.  
  
"So predictable" Kimimaro though  
  
"That idiot" Sasuke thought  
  
Shakon eyes suddenly widened, as the three Narutos smile as well as Shikamaru.  
  
Shakon found that he couldn't move his legs, as something strong held him in place.  
  
He lowered his eyes towards his ankles, when two pair of hands came out of the ground and tightly gripped his ankles.  
  
"What the hell!" Shakon let out in surprise  
  
Then two heads popped out of the soil with blond hair and blue eyes.  
  
"The brat had two other clones out there!" Kimimaro let out as he was a bit surprised  
  
"Hey ugly, I'm up here too remember!" Naruto warned his opponent as his both his feet connected with Shakon's face  
  
Shakon fell on his back, but the clones remained attached to his ankles.  
  
The real Naruto then landed straight on Shakon's chest which he ended up jerking up by the impact as the blond made hi way towards Sasuke and Kimimaro.  
  
Shakon was ready to pursue the little bastard when he couldn't move any part of his body.  
  
"Seems like my Shadow imitation finally worked on you" Shikamaru stated  
  
"How could this happen.........? They're only genins........." Shakon thought with anger  
  
"Kiba and Akamaru attacked on purpose to test your abilities, also, so none of you would have noticed the other two clones he made before we even appeared. All that's left now is the other one." Shikamaru informed the enemy  
  
Naruto lunched himself as Kimimaro, as he threw a few shurikens along the way.  
  
Kimimaro pulled out a kunai and blocked every shuriken. With his free hand, he reached in the back, to grab hold of another. He threw the first one which Naruto easily dodge, but unfortunately, Naruto had not seen the hidden hand until it was too late.  
  
Kimimaro quickly threw the hidden kunai as it struck Naruto's shoulder with a certain force.  
  
Naruto fell on the ground face first because of the pain, but then he managed to stand up on his feet and glared at his new enemy.  
  
Sasuke was about to step in as the ninja stopped him.  
  
"Sasuke-sama, you are too important so please step back and let us take care of this." Kimimaro ordered him  
  
Sasuke wasn't too happy about it, but nodded despite his inner feelings at the moment.  
  
Naruto reached out to the kunai imbedded in his shoulder as he slowly pulled it out. The blood dripped down from his hand and onto the ground, but Naruto had a determined look in his eyes and Sasuke focused on that mostly.  
  
"Why the hell is dobe here anyway, he'll end up dead if he continues." Sasuke thought  
  
"Yo Kiba, still with us?" Shikamaru asked as his Jutsu still remained strong enough to hold Shakon down  
  
Kiba slowly raised to his feet, as he looked beside him to find that Akamaru had smoothen the fall for him. Akamaru was pretty much beat and unconscious.  
  
Kiba bit his hand as he was angry, but they were all aware of what could happen when they decided to come along the way.  
  
Kiba picked up carefully his dog, as he placed him inside his jacket and walked towards Shikamaru.  
  
"How long can you hold up?" Kiba asked  
  
"He consumes more chakra than I though. I can hold 10 more minutes top. After that, we better hope we're not here to find out what happens." Shikamaru murmured to his comrade  
  
"Chikushou......... You better end this soon Naruto ........." Kiba thought as he observed the next fight  
  
"You should of turned back when you and the chance boy" Kimimaro stated as he took hold of another kunai and prepared to fight  
  
"Why? This is the greatest opportunity to go get that snake's butt once and for all" Naruto started to talk  
  
"Orochimaru could kill you within a second brat" Kimimaro stated  
  
"Dream on pretty boy! If that bastard of a snake wanted to kill me, he would of ended it in the forest of death. After all I couldn't' blame him for not doing so, who would want to face my other self anyway?" Naruto teased with a smile  
  
"Other self?" Sasuke repeated to himself  
  
"You weren't worthy to be killed by our lord's hands to begin with, but I'll save him the time and do it for him" Kimimaro commented as he started to feel irritated by the boy's words but hid it well  
  
"If he's that good, why do you need that bastard for? Oh that's right! Our the old man Hokage sealed your lord's hands so he can't quite do any jutsus anymore, can't even be a ninja for all I know. In other words, he needs protection." Naruto continued to taunt his enemy  
  
On the other side, Kiba couldn't believe what Naruto was doing, wasting time talking to those bastards, as he looked at shikamaru for an answer.  
  
"He's wasting precious time that baka!" Kiba growled  
  
"You're wrong. He knows very well Sasuke won't come with us unless he has a good reason, Naruto's simply using his mouth to get his attention. He's smarter than people think." Shikamaru let out as Kiba gave him a confused look  
  
"What ever you're up to Naruto, get it over with already!" Kiba mentally yelled at himself  
  
The tension was cut when Kimimaro threw another dagger straight to Naruto's other shoulder, as he expected the boy to dodge and then attack. But to everyone's surprise, including Sasuke, Naruto stood his ground and never moved.  
  
He took the attack and didn't even show the pain he felt as the kunai stabbed him. He only grabbed it to remove it form his wound to then throw it at the feet of Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke looked a bit puzzled but didn't let it show as usual.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Sasuke asked himself as the he found himself staring into the eyes of his former rival  
  
"Guess I struck a nerve huh? Not surprising, once we defeat you, we can't burry that snake freak once and for all." Naruto said as he let out a smile  
  
"You little brat, Orochimaru is stronger than any of you, if he was present he could kill you before you even realized you were dead" Kimimaro stated as the anger started to show  
  
"Just admit it already! The only reason you want OUR great Uchiha Sasuke is because he's the number one rookie of this year, he has the Sharingan, which is a great blooline limit, and needed him to protect your so beloved snake maniac since he's weak, worthless and unable to perform any Jutsus at all. So it's kinda obvious why the freak cursed Sasuke in the first place, he knew he needed a bodyguard to defend him later on" Naruto continued to speak as he knew now his opponent was definitely pissed  
  
Shakon still laid on the ground, but heard everything as he was furious with all the trash talk Naruto did to their lord and snapped at the blond.  
  
"How dare you insult Orochimaru-sama! He is the strongest of all ninjas. The only reason he needs that Uchiha brat is for his body! That's the only use he has after all." Shakon let out in anger  
  
"Shakon you idiot!" Kimimaro yelled out as now the truth was known to everyone, including Sasuke  
  
Everyone's eyes widened by the information Shakon had just unleashed on them, as Sasuke took steps backwards to put some distance between himself and Kimimaro.  
  
"You mean that bastard only wanted my body!?" Sasuke yelled out  
  
Kimimaru grabbed Sasuke by the neck, as he placed his other hand above the curse seal of Sasuke. With that, he activated the curse, as it prevented Sasuke from moving due to the stress and pain it inflicted on him.  
  
"Orochimaru-sama needed a new body since the one he occupies right now is starting to wear off, this is how our lord becomes immortal after all. You having survived the curse seal and also possess the Sharingan, you became a great asset to us. Just too bad you had to find out the truth now." Kimimaro said as Sasuke was forced to his knees  
  
Kiba prepared to go join Naruto despite his current injuries, when he passed by Shakon.  
  
Shakon's hand was free of movement as he took hold of Kiba's ankle.  
  
Kiba turned to see what was going on when he noticed the shadow imitation was started to wear off.  
  
"This isn't good ........." Kiba thought  
  
"Do something!" Shikamaru yelled out to Naruto  
  
Naruto seem to snap out of it when he noticed Kimimaro had started to make a few hand signs and prepared to strike Sasuke, that couldn't move at all.  
  
"Chikushou Sasuke!" Naruto cursed himself as he ran towards his former rival  
  
Sasuke couldn't bring himself to believe how he was stupid enough to get tricked like that as he prepared himself to get hit by the attack.  
  
To his surprise, the attack never seem to have come. He opened his eyes to see Naruto stood between himself and Kimimaro, as his hands had stopped the attack.  
  
"Naruto.........?" Sasuke let out in pain  
  
"You bastard......... You're suppose to be the one saving my idiot ass all the time........." Naruto let out as blood started to drip in front of the blond  
  
On the other side, Shikamaru showed that he was barely holding on, as Shakon's movement became more visible.  
  
Kiba had managed to get out of his grip but he couldn't reach Naruto nor Sasuke to this point.  
  
The shadow retreated as Shakon stood up on his feet ready to ponder both boys for making him look like a fool.  
  
On Kimimaro's side, Naruto made a clone appear, as his chakra started to appear in the palm of his hand.  
  
Kimimaro started to look worried as the chakra became more visible and bigger.  
  
"This is a skill an old comrade of your snake buddy taught me." Naruto let out with a smile as Sasuke could only watch  
  
Naruto had managed to bring forth his Rasengan he learned from Jiraiya when they met up with Tsunade. The chakra swirled in his palm as the force started to be felt.  
  
Naruto pushed his hand towards Kimimaro's chest as this one quickly stomped the ground with chakra to put some distance between Naruto and himself.  
  
Shikon joined his comrades side, but kept an eye out on all 4 boys, as Naruto's clone vanished in smoke.  
  
"Guess me being a loud mouth actually helped this time........." Naruto mumbled to his rival as he helped him to his feet, and place and around his waist as the other held Sasuke's arm around his neck  
  
Kiba and Shikamaru quickly move to Naruto and Sasuke's position as they know they are being followed closely.  
  
"What now?" Kiba asked with a worried look  
  
"You three die, as Sasuke-sama will come with us no matter what" Kimimaro informed the boys  
  
"Like hell I am!" Sasuke yelled out as pain increased  
  
"Shikamaru, what's the plan?" Naruto asked  
  
"How troublesome, always ask me for the plan. Problem is, there's not so much luck on our side Naruto" Shikamaru stated  
  
"Just leave me here, at least you could still make it back to the village........." Sasuke let out with a weak voice  
  
Naruto immediately glared at the boy he held as he felt still angry at him.  
  
"You bastard, even if you give yourself to them they won't let us leave, so better to fight and win then end up dead like a coward" Naruto told the boy  
  
Several minutes passed, as the boys stayed silent and the two enemies seemed to only stare at them.  
  
Shakon's the first to take a step forward as he cracked his fingers and smiled to the small group.  
  
"Time to break some necks. Since you've used most of your chakra and are wounded, there's no way in hell you're going to live another day" Shakon stated and laughed  
  
The boys all looked worried, as Sasuke continued to curse himself. Naruto stared in front of him as he knew the situation wasn't good. He took a glimpse at Kiba and Shikamaru, and noticed no one knew what to do to this point.  
  
It was now obvious to all four of them. No matter what they did, they would end up dead. They would fail their mission and Sasuke would become a mindless doll to serve Orochimaru.  
  
Naruto closed his eyes for a few seconds as he took a long deep breath before reopening them.  
  
"We still have a way to win against them........." Naruto told himself  
  
"Hey you're the brains in the group think of something!" Kiba growled  
  
"Shikamaru, take Sasuke for me" Naruto ordered as he handed Sasuke over to his comrade  
  
Naruto turns his back to his team and talk in a very serious tone which was a bit surprising to all of them.  
  
"Someone has to stay behind to hold them long enough for the rest to leave with Sasuke and get back to the Village." Naruto stated  
  
"What are you saying dobe?" Sasuke asked while he looked at the back of his rival  
  
"With the curse activated you can't move and need help asap. Akamaru's unconscious and Kiba is too worn off from the initial attack. Shikamaru, your chakra is almost depleted, so you can't fight either no matter how intelligent you are. So that leaves me........." Naruto stated with a sad tone  
  
"You can't possible mean that........." Kiba started to ask in shock  
  
"Out of all four of us, I'm the only one that's in best shape" Naruto continued  
  
"You're lying, you took two major wounds in each shoulder." Sasuke stated  
  
Naruto turned around, as he unzipped his jump suit to take the top part off, leaving only his black shirt on. He showed the wounds were almost completely healed as everyone stared at him in surprise.  
  
"My chakra heals me, if anyone can't at least stall them, it' me" Naruto commented as he turned his back once more and took a few steps forward to face the enemy  
  
"Baka! This isn't the time for you to show off!" Sasuke yelled out as his head leaned down from the pain again  
  
"Shikamaru, don't forget why we were here in the first place! Our mission is to get Sasuke back to the Village. We got him, now get going." Naruto ordered them as Sasuke showed he was shocked  
  
"We can't just leave you here! The person to remain behind is most likely going to ........." Shikamaru started when Naruto continued for him  
  
"Die? That's the life of a true shinobi every time he takes a mission. We know the risks, but Shimakaru, isn't it better to loose one then to loose all 7 of us and fail the mission we were given?" Naruto asked in a sad tone  
  
Shikamaru closed his eyes as he leaned his head towards the ground. Deep down he knew Naruto was right, and the best decision he could make was exactly what Naruto was ordering them to do.  
  
"You actually think you can defeat us alone boy! I msut admit you got gutts. But whatever you do, we'll kill you within minutes and then we'll kill them and still obtain Sasuke-sama." Kimimaro pointed out with a smile  
  
From that statement, Shakon threw a kunai towards Shikamaru as he looked up worried since his hands were full with holding Sasuke.  
  
Naruto extended his arm, as the kunai struck the middle of his hand to block the attack.  
  
Naruto didn't even twitch form the kunai that stabbed him in the hand, as his other hand reached out to pull the kunai out.  
  
Immediately, the wound started to heal slowly, as everyone's eyes were wide and shocked by the quick healing.  
  
"Shikamaru, get going now, I'll hold them long enough for you to reach the Village and get back up." Naruto ordered his friends  
  
"Naruto........." Shikamaru mumbled in surprise  
  
"Don't worry, I got something special that will make me win........." Naruto told them  
  
"Huh?" Kiba asked  
  
"What are you talking about dobe, even with that rasengan of yours, even......... even you don't stand a chance against both of them........." Sasuke trailed off  
  
"Shikamaru, you remember when we stood up against Gaara in Lee's room?" Naruto asked  
  
"Hai, what about it?" Shikamaru responded  
  
"He's not the only one with a monster inside him........." Naruto answered with a smile  
  
TBC???  
  
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Wow a new story!!! Hope people like it, hope characters aren't too OCC and everything was ok. This has been up in my head for a while and I finally wrote the first part down so let me know what you think ok???  
  
For the updates, I usually update once a week at least, but it could take up to two weeks because I work full time and go to school full time, so not much time to write but I'll do my best I promise.  
  
Next Chapter : The Demon Within  
  
The team leave, as Naruto is left to deal with both Shakon and Kimimaro.  
  
Read and REVIEW  
  
Ookima 


	2. The Demon Within

Twist of Fate Chapter 2 : The Demon Within  
  
Synopsis : Although the team now have Sasuke and know why Orochimaru wanted him for, the team is still in grave danger, as Naruto takes responsibility to sacrifice himself so they can escape. What is Naruto's plan???  
  
Pairings : Unknown for now. Suggestions are welcomed  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Timeline :  
  
- This takes place when Shikamaru, and the team he created went after the 4 Ninjas that took Sasuke with them. In other words it's right after Neji finished his battle with his opponent in Manga Volume 22 Chapter 198.  
  
- Sasuke was NOT put in the wooden barrel to begin with  
  
- Sakon is one of the four ninjas under Orochimaru's command. He's the ninja that seems to have two bodies of some sort ( Chapter 200 )  
  
- Kimimaro was sent by Kabuto ( Orochimaru's right hand ) since the four ninjas were taking too long to come back to Orochimaru.  
  
- To me, all underlings of Orochimaru are male, so sorry if they were any females that I wasn't able to spot.  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Skill : A forbidden jutsu, that creates clones - which are not just plain illusions (like the normal bunshin no jutsu). Each clone is an exact replica of the user, capable of attacking. A direct hit causes the clone to disappear.  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Urousai = Shut Up -  
  
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn  
  
All notes concerning future reviews will be replied at the bottom of the story.  
  
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Shakon threw a kunai towards Shikamaru as he looked up worried since his hands were full with holding Sasuke.  
  
Naruto extended his arm, as the kunai struck the middle of his hand to block the attack.  
  
Naruto didn't even twitch form the kunai that stabbed him in the hand, as his other hand reached out to pull the kunai out.  
  
Immediately, the wound started to heal slowly, as everyone's eyes were wide and shocked by the quick healing.  
  
"Shikamaru, get going now, I'll hold them long enough for you to reach the Village and get back up." Naruto ordered his friends  
  
"Naruto........." Shikamaru mumbled in surprise  
  
"Don't worry, I got something special that will make me win........." Naruto told them  
  
"Huh?" Kiba asked  
  
"What are you talking about dobe, even with that rasengan of yours, even......... even you don't stand a chance against both of them........." Sasuke trailed off  
  
"Shikamaru, you remember when we stood up against Gaara in Lee's room?" Naruto asked  
  
"Hai, what about it?" Shikamaru responded  
  
"He's not the only one with a monster inside him........." Naruto answered with a smile.  
  
"Monster? What the hell are you talking about dobe!?" Sasuke asked  
  
"Get going already!" Naruto ordered them as he closed his hands into fists  
  
"Naruto ........." Shikamaru let out  
  
Naruto relaxed himself as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
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*Inside Naruto*  
  
Naruto stood before the cage that sealed the Kyubi, where the demon's teeth and eyes appeared near the bars that held him within it.  
  
"You dare show yourself before me again brat?" Kyubi half spoke half growled  
  
"Urousai! I'm only here because I need your strength" Naruto yelled out  
  
Kyubi didn't like the phrase too much, as he pressed his whole body against the bars and glared at the blond who stood before him.  
  
"You dare order me around!?" Kyubi spoke as he showed his sharp teeth  
  
Naruto smiled as he stepped closer to the cage.  
  
"If you're really a demon than you know what's going on in the real world. With my strength alone I know I can't defeat those two bastards. But with your strength, I might stand a chance." Naruto started to explain  
  
Kyubi's eyes narrowed as he continued to glare at the boy that stood only 5 meters away and below him and the cage.  
  
"I helped you once before since you had the guts to come and ask me. But this time, you're not getting one bit of chakra from me brat, so leave this place before I eat you" Kyubi ordered the blond  
  
"I'm not leaving until you hear me out stupid fox" Naruto stated  
  
Kyubi growled as the anger within his crimson eyes started to show itself.  
  
"I have no interest in what your offer might be. Leave" Kyubi repeated himself with a dead serious tone  
  
"So that's your answer?" Naruto asked with a smile  
  
Kyubi didn't reply, as Naruto let out an evil little smile and picked up a kunai in his left hand. This somewhat caught Kyubi's attention as his eyes focused on the brat.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*On The Battlefield*  
  
Naruto's eyes remained closed, as his hand reached into his holster to grab a kunai.  
  
"Kimimaro what should we do?" Sakon asked a bit confused  
  
"Observe for now, Orochimaru-sama warned us how that one can be unpredictable because of what he bares." Kimimaro  
  
"You're talking about that demon thing?" Sakon asked  
  
Kimimaro only nodded as their eyes focused on the blond.  
  
On the other side, behind Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru and Sasuke wondered what Naruto was going to do with the kunai.  
  
"Dobe, you're not acting like yourself ........." Sasuke spoke waiting for an answer  
  
"If you don't help me out, then why shouldn't I just end it here?" Naruto mumbled to himself as he pointed the tip of the kunai on his wrist  
  
"Who the hell are you talking to!?" Kiba asked as he waved his fists around  
  
Naruto smiled, as in a quick movement, the blade of the kunai slashed his wrist. The blood started to pour out, as everyone's eyes widened by the action Naruto had just did.  
  
"BAKA! What the hell are you doing!" Sasuke yelled out as Shikamaru held him in place  
  
"Stop moving or it will get too troublesome" Shikamaru warned the boy he held  
  
"Let me go!" Sasuke demanded as he looked up into Shikamaru's eyes  
  
Once his eyes met those of Shikamaru, he looked over at Kiba as well. Both seemed to be shocked as they stared at Naruto's wounded wrist.  
  
Sasuke was about to speak when himself looked over to Naruto's wound. His eyes widened as the wound started to heal almost immediately.  
  
"That's ......... That's impossible ........." Sasuke let out in shock  
  
All eyes were focused on Naruto, both enemies and allies.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Inside Naruto*  
  
Naruto had the attention of the fox as well, as Kyubi observed the boy with a little worry.  
  
"Are you ready to listen or not?" Naruto asked with a serious tone  
  
"You wouldn't dare to kill yourself" Kyubi kinda asked unsure f the answer he would get  
  
"I'm already dead if I face them without more power. So might as well die now and take you down with me" Naruto stated as he slowly lifted the kunai to a new place  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*On The Battlefield*  
  
Naruto lifted the kunai up to his neck as the tip of the blade slightly cut the his neck, as droplets of blood started to appear.  
  
"This isn't the time to kill yourself!" Kiba yelled out  
  
On the other side of the ground, Kimimaro and Sakon simply smiled and laugh as they thought Naruto was going to kill himself and save them the time of doing it.  
  
"That idiot. Does he really think he can kill us when he's about to kill himself" Sakon let out  
  
"What does he expect to gain from this?" Kimimaro asked himself  
  
Back behind Naruto, Sasuke no longer knew what to say or think. The boy who stood before him wasn't the boy he called dobe but someone he didn't know much anymore.  
  
"What are you planning Naruto?" Shikamaru asked himself as he didn't let his guard down  
  
"This is your last chance. Stupid fox" Naruto warned the fox within him as he prepared to give himself the fatal cut  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Inside Naruto*  
  
Kyubi's claws tried to cut the bars form the cage to get the blonde's attention.  
  
"Seems like I have your attention this time" Naruto commented with a grin  
  
"You're the first one to actually threatened me and mean it........." Kyubi growled  
  
"Isn't that why I'm known as the number one surprising ninja?" Naruto teased the fox  
  
"Arrogant brat" Kyubi let out  
  
"Want the deal or you want to die?" Naruto asked with a serious tone  
  
"Get it over with" Kyubi growled  
  
"I'm offering you to take control of my body." Naruto started  
  
Kyubi immediately turned his head and showed that this had caught his attention.  
  
"Go on" Kyubi told the boy  
  
"I know that these guys are strong and I can't beat them......... As I human, a ninja, I can't possibly beat them no matter how hard I want to......... But as a demon, perhaps the odds would be greater ........." Naruto continued  
  
"So you would be willing to give me complete control to get rid of them?" Kyubi asked  
  
"Of course there's a catch." Naruto mentioned  
  
"Perhaps it would be better to die than to stay in your body" Kyubi said  
  
"Listen carefully, cuz I ain't repeating myself. You'll have almost complete control. Beat them, torture them I don't care. As long as you keep them from pursuing Sasuke and Shikamaru's group. You should take the offer. After all isn't this what you wanted for a long time?" Naruto stated with a smile  
  
"Your offer is quite interesting. I wonder how a stupid brat like yourself could possibly come up with it. Besides why offer it if when you know I might not return control to you?" Kyubi asked  
  
"Because I want to help my friends" Naruto replied  
  
"Brave words for a brat like yourself" Kyubi commented  
  
"So fox, want a moment of freedom or you want to stay in that cage and maybe die?" Naruto asked  
  
The fox stared at Naruto for several seconds until he came to his decision.  
  
"You've got guts boy to offer a deal to a demon like myself. But this is too tempting to pass." Kyubi answered with a evil grin  
  
"Then let's get this over with........." Naruto said with a low voice as he approached the cage  
  
Naruto lowered his head as he knew this would get out of hand. Kyubi simple stared at the boy but smiled as he let his red chakra gather and surround the boy.  
  
"It's been a long time since I tasted blood........." Kyubi told himself  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*On The Battlefield*  
  
Naruto smiled, as he removed the kunai from his throat and back in it's holster.  
  
"Shikamaru! What are you guys still doing here? Get going already! We can't let that snake freak get his hands on Sasuke." Naruto told the chuunin  
  
"We can't just leave you here!" Sasuke yelled out  
  
"Sasuke. Just trust me for once" Naruto told coldly his former rival  
  
"Naruto ........." All three boys said with a surprised tone  
  
At Naruto's feet, red chakra started to gather and swirl as the boy simply stayed in place.  
  
Shikamaru looked at Kiba, as his eyes showed he was partly sad but knew what should be done.  
  
"Kiba, we have to pick up Chouji and Neji on the way so we better get going" Shikamaru mentioned  
  
"Shikamaru are you serious!?" Kiba asked with a shocked expression  
  
"Naruto, you better come back alive and in one piece" Shikamaru said as he turned around to go back to the Village  
  
Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing as he couldn't move or protest due to the pain he felt from his curse being activated.  
  
"We can't just leave him there!" Sasuke spoke as he struggled  
  
"Gomen Sasuke" Shikamaru whispered to the boy he held  
  
"Nani?" Sasuke let out  
  
Before Sasuke could react, Shikamaru and punched him in the stomach and rendered him unconscious.  
  
Shikamaru and Kiba took one last look behind them before they jumped into the trees and made their escape.  
  
Naruto opens his eyes as he glares at his two enemies.  
  
"You should of gone back to your snake freak while you had the chance." Naruto informed them with a light smile  
  
The two enemies glared at the boy with a certain anger, as Sakon took a step forward and prepared himself to fight with Naruto.  
  
"Get going Kimimaro, I'll kill blond boy here." Sakon told his comrade  
  
Kimimaro nodded as he jumped into the trees and started his pursuit. As the group were escaping, Kiba took a quick look behind to notice they were being pursued.  
  
The small group stop and turned around to notice they were barely 10 meters away from the battlefield and already they had someone on their tail.  
  
Kimimaro threw a few kunais, as Shikamaru knew all too well that with Sasuke he didn't have the time to evade the attack as for Kiba, he carried Akamaru and couldn't move too much either.  
  
They prepared themselves for the attack, but it seem that it never came. The small group looked in front of them to see the kunais fell to the ground, as a thin barrier of red seemed to surround the battlefield around Nruto and their two enemies.  
  
Kimimaro stopped on a branch as he seemed somewhat surprised by barrier. He then looked down to Sakon to wonder if he knew anything about it.  
  
"I told you I would hold them back Shikamaru" Naruto said out loud  
  
Shikamaru couldn't believe that Naruto had managed to create a barrier to hold both enemies within in. He smiled a little as Kiba wasn't too sure what to do anymore.  
  
The small group of three boys continued their way as they finally vanished from sight.  
  
"How could this kid make a barrier!?" Kimimaro asked himself as he glared at the blond boy  
  
For a split second, Naruto looked behind him to make sure his friends were out of range, but when he turned his head back to face his opponent, Sakon, this one was already charging towards him.  
  
"This isn't good." Naruto thought  
  
Sakon's fists connected with Naruto's jaw and stomach as he was pushed back hard. Naruto's body rammed itself into a tree, as he fell face first on the ground.  
  
Kimimaro observed from high above as Sakon made his way towards the blond that seemed somewhat unconscious.  
  
"You're a poor excuse, calling yourself a ninja when the first rule is to never let your eyes leave your enemy." Sakon stated  
  
Naruto's hands pressed against the ground to lift his body back up on his feet.  
  
"You humans can be so annoying" Naruto spoke as he wiped off the blood that came out of his mouth  
  
Naruto stood up, but his eyes remained closed for a moment. Sakon didn't pay attention to the phrase, unlike Kimimaro that raised an eyebrow. Sakon charged again when Naruto slowly revealed his eyes.  
  
Immediately, Sakon jumped back to his original position as Kimimaro jumped down from the tree to take a closer look.  
  
"What's wrong? I thought you wanted to kill me?" Naruto said with a grin  
  
"His eyes ........." Sakon mumbled  
  
"The color of blood" Kimimaro thought  
  
"As you might of noticed, you're not fighting the kid." Naruto pointed to himself  
  
"Kyubi" Kimimaro let out  
  
"Doesn't matter. He's still weaker against both of us" Sakon stated as he prepared to attack once again  
  
Sakon's skin started to have marks, just like Sasuke's curse seal, only this seemed to be under control. Sakon was the first to charge forward, as Kimimaro followed a few seconds later.  
  
( To this point when I write Kyubi, it's Kyubi in control of Naruto's body and speaking through it )  
  
Kyubi smiled as he reached inside the holster to grab a few kunais. He immediately threw them towards Sakon, but this one stomped the ground in order to avoid the attack.  
  
Kimimaro who stood behind simply stopped any movement and evaded them as they came. The kunais struck the trees near Kimimaro as the embedded themselves in it.  
  
"You shouldn't let your guard down" Sakon stated as he came from above Kyubi  
  
Kyubi lifted his head up as he quickly took hold of Sakon's wrist and pulled him in closer to then throw him in the opposite direction.  
  
Sakon quickly regained control as his body turned to land properly on the ground.  
  
"Kimimaro! Aren't you going to help a little?" Sakon shouted  
  
"Always have to do everything myself" Kimimaro told himself as he walked towards Kyubi  
  
From the back of his eyes, Kyubi knew Kimimaro was coming towards him but he couldn't help but smile like a fox. Kyubi joined his hands together and performed many hand signs and then stomped the ground with one feet.  
  
Sakon had seen the hand seals but didn't know what it was or did. Kyubi turned his head to look into Kimimaro's eyes and gave an arrogant smile.  
  
"why would he smile?" Kimimaro asked himself a bit worried  
  
As he was about to reach Kyubi, he stopped moving.  
  
"Nani!?" Kimimaro spoke as he looked around  
  
"Why aren't you attacking the brat!?" Sakon asked as he got back on his feet  
  
"He can't attack because he's caught within my barrier. I didn't throw those kunais for nothing, I need them to get close enough to you so my chakra could hold you in place while I deal with dumb ass over here" Naruto explained as he pointed Sakon  
  
"I can't believe I was tricked" Kimimaro let out with anger  
  
"Never underestimate a demon" Naruto said as he turned his back on Kimimaro and concentrated on his fight against Sakon  
  
"You bastard" Sakon murmured with anger  
  
Before Sakon even realized it, Kyubi has vanished from his sight, which made him somewhat nervous. With his eyes, he scanned the area around him, when he felt a presence behind him.  
  
"Turning your back to a ninja isn't very clever" Kyubi stated as he prepared to strike his enemy  
  
As Kyubi was about to strike, something blocked his attack and kept him in place. As Kyubi looked, he noticed something was growing out of Sakon, just like a clone, but stayed attached to the original body.  
  
"What the hell?" Kyubi thought as his eyes widened  
  
A head, and arms grew, as it pushed Kyubi backwards. Kyubi landed on his feet but was very careful around his new opponent.  
  
Sakon turned around and smiled.  
  
"I see you've met my brother, Ukon." Sakon stated as he continued to smile  
  
"Brother?" Kyubi repeated  
  
"My older brother, Ukon usually stays asleep inside of me, but wakes up during a battle to help me. He can extend hands and legs from any part of my body and can both strike and defend" Sakon stated as he now had 4 arms and four legs, and an extra head which belong to his brother  
  
"Interesting" Kyubi said with a smile  
  
"Too bad that you have to die" Ukon stated as they prepared to attack once more with his brother  
  
"Two souls in one body, wouldn't be good if I separated them. I would end up with twice the trouble. Plus I already have the other idiot in my barrier to play with. Guess I should wait for them to attack." Kyubi told himself as he rushed forward  
  
Kyubi charged towards the brothers without any hesitation. Sakon reached within his holster to pick up several kunais as his brother, Ukon took care of the shurikens. They jumped into the air as they threw about two dozen shurikens and kunais towards the Kyubi.  
  
Kyubi looked up as he saw the attack, but made no attempt to evade it. The kunais and shurikens pierced through Kyubi's body as blood leaked out of them.  
  
"That was stupid of him to not even move" Ukon told his brother  
  
"No wonder he was beaten" Sakon stated  
  
"Ha, why evade an attack when it has no effect on me" Kyubi laughed as his chakra covered his entire body  
  
The red chakra removed the weapons and healed his wounds. Kyubi stood up as if nothing ever happened.  
  
"That's impossible!" Sakon let out in shock  
  
"Urousai brother, he does have a demon after all. We can still beat him with our other technique." Ukon informed his brother  
  
Sakon turned his head to meet the eyes of his brother and understood the plan he had in mind. He nodded as they prepared to take their plan into action.  
  
"He's going to pay for underestimating me.........With his life" Kyubi thought as he smiled  
  
Sakon and Ukon vanished from Kyubi's sight, as they reappeared behind him. Kyubi's eyes widened when he had no time to react to Sakon's action.  
  
"You were looking for me?" Sakon asked as he placed and arm around Kyubi's neck  
  
Kyubi tried to punch Sakon but his arm was restrained quickly by his enemy. Ukon brought his head near the demon's ears to whisper something to him.  
  
"This is my ability, it specializes for assassinations. You can't beat me with only your fangs and claws, even if you are a demon, you're trapped within a useless host" Ukon informed the fox  
  
"Time to give him a painful and long death. Don't you agree brother" Sakon asked  
  
"A very long and painful death indeed." Ukon repeated  
  
"Like I'm going to let that happen" Kyubi growled as he tried to struggle  
  
"We'll let you in on a secret since you are a demon. When our curse is activated, we can use our own chakra to merge with another body temporarily. But the beauty of it is our chakra can flow inside our enemy's body but our enemy can't so that. Among other things, once we merge at a certain level, we can grow certain parts through you, making it much more enjoyable and painful. The fun part is, we don't get any wounds during the process" Ukon informed the fox  
  
Kyubi felt pain in his back, as his opponent seemed to crush into his back. Kyubi let out another growl of slight pain, as his other hand concentrated on reaching into his holster.  
  
"He just gave me his weakness, that idiot" Kyubi thought as he managed to grab a kunai  
  
"No matter what you try there's nothing you can ........." Ukon started when his eyes widened by the action his enemy took  
  
Kyubi had pointed the kunai not at his enemy, but at himself. He plunged the kunai deep within his stomach, as he coughed up some blood.  
  
Upon this wound, Ukon and Sakon started to bleed as well, as they were in pain, the same as Kyubi.  
  
"Just as I thought, there's a flaw in that technique of yours. Sure you can merge, but that means we also share the same body. So if I were to kill myself, you'd die with me as well." Kyubi stated as he prepared another attack  
  
"I never thought that someone would actually be capable of doing this" Sakon told himself as he coughed up some blood as well  
  
"How could this thing do it?" Ukon asked himself  
  
"If we die, you're coming with us." Kyubi stated as he began to plunge the kunai into his chest  
  
Sakon and Ukon's eyes widened when they tried to undo the merge but found themselves somewhat stuck to the demon.  
  
The pain was felt immediately, as the kunai was now stuck in the demon's chest.  
  
"Im ........Impossible........." Ukon mumbled  
  
Kyubi turned his head to look at the brothers and slightly smile.  
  
"If I could hold you pretty boy over there, I could do the same to you" Kyubi commented as he removed the kunai from his chest  
  
Sakon and Ukon looked around them to notice the thin layer of red chakra that formed around them. And that's what made it impossible for them to unmerge with the demon.  
  
Kyubi's red chakra vanished, and the brothers took that to their advantages as they quickly undid the merger, but before they could put some distance between them and their enemy, Kyubi had already turned 180 degrees around and grabbed them by the shoulder.  
  
Kyubi pulled the brothers closer to him, as his knee met Sakon's stomach. Sakon gasped, but Kyubi wasn't finished yet. As his enemy tried to regain his breath, Kyubi's claws grew sharper and longer, as he plunged them into his opponent's stomach.  
  
"Too bad you both die" Kyubi murmured to both of them, as his other hand reached out to Sakon's neck, while his hand was slowly ripping the inside of Sakon's stomach.  
  
"This can't be happening........." Sakon thought as he felt he couldn't breath anymore  
  
"Why aren't you affected by your own wounds?" Ukon asked  
  
"Because, my chakra heals me." Kyubi replied  
  
As soon as he gave out his answer, Kyubi twisted his hand as he broke the neck of Sakon. Ukon gasped for both the loss of his brother but also due to the pain. But his life came to an end very soon, as Kyubi's claws slashed across his face. He then removed his hand from his stomach and with one powerful thrust, he stabbed him in the chest, where his heart was.  
  
Within minutes, the body of Sakon, Ukon, fell to the floor, as the demon's hands were covered in it's blood. Kyubi leaned his head to the right and then to the left, as he then turned his full attention to his last prey, Kimimaro.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Towards Konoha Village*  
  
Shikamaru carried Sasuke, as Kiba carefully carried his furry friend, Akamaru. Sasuke started to wake up and immediately the group came to a stop.  
  
"Welcome back" Kiba told the Uchiha  
  
"How long?" Sasuke asked  
  
"Half an hour at most......... Gomen Sasuke, but Naruto was right........." Shikamaru replied  
  
As Sasuke was about to speak, they heard noises that came from their right side. All three boys concentrated and stared at that specific direction, as they showed they were nervous.  
  
"Can't they give us a break?" Shikamaru commented  
  
"Maybe Naruto failed ........." Kiba said with a low voice  
  
"Iie, glad you caught up with us, Neji." Shikamaru stated  
  
Behind the trees, a very wounded Neji leaned against the tree and showed his face to his comrades.  
  
"No offense Neji, but you look like shit" Sasuke told the Hyuga boy  
  
"Same goes to you Uchiha Sasuke." Neji replied as he fell on his knees  
  
Kiba rushed to his side, as he inspected Neji's wound more carefully. The wound that appeared on his shoulder was the one that worried them mostly.  
  
"Where's Naruto?" Neji asked, as Kiba grabbed hold of him to help him stand up  
  
All three boys didn't dare to answer the question as Neji thought the worse at first, due to the sudden silence.  
  
"He's not ........." Neji started  
  
"Iie, but he sacrificed himself so that all of us could get back to the Village." Shikamaru answered  
  
"Weren't there 2 of them left?" Neji asked  
  
"Hai ........." Sasuke answered  
  
All looked so depressed as Neji didn't know quite what to say. He wasn't use to these kinds of situation but them he remembered what Naruto told him during the Chuunin Exams. Neji lifted his head and smiled lightly to the group.  
  
"He'll come back alive. The words – Give up – Doesn't exist for him" Neji reassured them  
  
"Neji's right! Naruto may be annoying and stupid, but I learned that he's full of surprises." Kiba yelled out  
  
The group smiled a bit more, as part of them knew that was true but the other part still worried about the blond.  
  
"I trust him, he'll come back, even if he has to crawl to come back" Shikamaru stated  
  
The group set out to find the last member, Chouji, who had yet to be seen. As Shikamaru continued to transport Sasuke, Kiba had placed Akamaru into his vest, as he carried Neji with him as well.  
  
"You better come back alive, Naruto" Sasuke thought as he looked behind him  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*On The Battlefield*  
  
Naruto kneeled next to the dead body of Sakon and Ukon, as severed the heads to make sure they wouldn't stand up again. He then turned towards Kimimaro that was still trapped within his barrier.  
  
"Sakon underestimated the kid's power. We shouldn't of waited to kill him........." Kimimaro thought as she saw the demon approached him  
  
Kyubi slowly licked the blood on each of his fingers and smiled at Kimimaro. After he finished licking the blood off his hands, he stared at his enemy, as the barrier vanished.  
  
"Looks like you're the only one left" Kyubi stated as he observed his enemy closely  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Second Chapter done people! Hope you enjoy it because I spent all sunday to work on it, the battle scenes and all, hope they weren't too boring or anything. Anyway let me know what you think  
  
As for the reviews it's like almost midnight and if you want this out asap then I'll update a bit late and repost the chapter with the review comments. Hope you understand.  
  
Thank you very much for your reviews I didn't expect to even get 20 reviews!!  
  
THANKS AGAIN MINNA  
  
Read and REVIEW please  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
The battle between Kyubi and Kimimaro begins, as Shikamaru's group finally reach Konoha.  
  
Check out my other stories!!!  
  
Ookima 


	3. A Skilled Opponent

Twist of Fate Chapter 3 : A Skilled Opponent  
  
Synopsis : The fight between Naruto / Kyubi and Kimimaro begins, as Shikamaru come across an unknown team on their way back to Konoha.  
  
Pairings : Unknown for now. Suggestions are welcomed  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Timeline :  
  
- This takes place when Shikamaru, and the team he created went after the 4 Ninjas that took Sasuke with them. In other words it's right after Neji finished his battle with his opponent in Manga Volume 22 Chapter 198.  
  
- Sasuke was NOT put in the wooden barrel to begin with  
  
- Sakon is one of the four ninjas under Orochimaru's command. He's the ninja that seems to have two bodies of some sort ( Chapter 200 )  
  
- Kimimaro was sent by Kabuto ( Orochimaru's right hand ) since the four ninjas were taking too long to come back to Orochimaru.  
  
- To me, all underlings of Orochimaru are male, so sorry if they were any females that I wasn't able to spot.  
  
Extra Information :  
  
- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Skill : A forbidden jutsu, that creates clones - which are not just plain illusions (like the normal bunshin no jutsu). Each clone is an exact replica of the user, capable of attacking. A direct hit causes the clone to disappear.  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Urousai = Shut Up -  
  
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn  
  
All notes concerning future reviews will be replied at the bottom of the story.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*On The Battlefield*  
  
Naruto kneeled next to the dead body of Sakon and Ukon, as severed the heads to make sure they wouldn't stand up again. He then turned towards Kimimaro that was still trapped within his barrier.  
  
"Sakon underestimated the kid's power. We shouldn't of waited to kill him........." Kimimaro thought as she saw the demon approached him  
  
Kyubi slowly licked the blood on each of his fingers and smiled at Kimimaro. After he finished licking the blood off his hands, he stared at his enemy, as the barrier vanished.  
  
"Looks like you're the only one left" Kyubi stated as he observed his enemy closely  
  
---  
  
Kimimaro carefully examined his new opponent as he cursed himself as well for not taking Orochimaru's warning about the kitsune become an obstacle when they were suppose to bring Sasuke back with them.  
  
"Unlike Sakon, I won't fall for his petty tricks. After all, he doesn't use any jutsu since it's Kyubi who's taken control, and that could be a weakness for me to exploit" Kimimaro thought as reached out behind his back and threw multiple kunais towards the fox's direction  
  
Kyubi simply smiled as he tapped his foot against the ground as the thin red barrier appeared once more to repel the attack. The kunais simply embedded themselves in to trunks of the trees.  
  
Kyubi glared at his last prey, as he moved his fingers a certain way, as the sound of bones cracking could be heard.  
  
"I'm going to crush you" Kyubi growled as he charged forward  
  
Kimimaro simply smiled as two strange white things grew out of his palms, like swords. Kimimaro held his ground as he didn't bother to move or evade the upcoming attack. Kyubi stomped the ground, as he readied his own claws to tear some new flesh.  
  
"Stupid to stay still and not try to evade" Kyubi thought when someone caught his attention  
  
Sudenly, as he was about to strike, the figure who stood under him had multiple spikes coming out of his body, as one of them hit Kyubi's stomach. By instinct, Kyubi took hold of the spike to prevent it from piercing his flesh even more as he stared at the human to see him somewhat smile.  
  
"These are bones.........!?" Kyubi thought as he felt the pain from being stabbed where the seal resided  
  
"This, is the limit of my inheritance........." Kimimaro mumbled  
  
As more bones seem to grow out of the male's body, Kyubi grabbed the bone who stabbed him with both hands as he quickly placed hi feet against Kimimaro's chest. He gathered chakra in them and pushed himself off the bone, to put a safe distance between himself and his opponent.  
  
Kyubi landed on his feet and hand, while he struggled a little to stand up properly, while he had a hand pressed against the fresh wound on his body.  
  
"Bones coming out of him? In all my lifetime I've never seen such a technique" Kyubi thought as he now was more careful around his last opponent  
  
What Kimimaro did next, caught the Kyubi totally off guard. The male ninja placed his own hand on his shoulder as he removed the fabric off of it. Soon, Kimimaro's left shoulder no longer had clothing, as strange sound could be heard.  
  
"What the hell?" Kyubi let out in surprise  
  
A new bone slowly ripped itself from underneath the male's skin and rose towards the sky. The skin muscles slowly parted to let the bone slip out as Kimimaro took hold of the new bone and finished withdrawing it.  
  
The ruptured skin and muscles started to close and then heal as if the bone had never been taken out in the first place. Kyubi's eyes were wide open, as Kimimaro pointed the long bone towards the demon's direction.  
  
"Soon........." Kimimaro mumbled  
  
"It......... It turned into a sword?" Kyubi asked himself now confused  
  
For a change, Kyubi had an inside gut feeling telling him to see the true strength of that bone, as he took 2 shurikens out of his holster and threw them directly at the ninja.  
  
Kimimaro's expression changed as he seemed colder this time and waved it once as he blocked both shurikens with no trouble.  
  
"These are no ordinary bones.........These bones are compressed to maximum density meaning they are as solid as steel. In other words, this alone can kill you even with your healing ability" Kimimaro explained  
  
"This is going to be more fun than I though" Kyubi thought as he grinned  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Near Konoha*  
  
The entire group seemed depressed as Sasuke kept thinking about the words Naruto spoke before they left, how his sudden change of behavior was too strange.  
  
Each genin were lost within their own thoughts, as Shikamaru worried even more about his long time friend, Chouji. After all they had been able to get Neji so all that's left was Chouji.  
  
The group landed on a cleared vast ground, as they all felt chakra coming their way. Sasuke could still not move too much due to his curse still being activated and the marks still spread through half o his body, while Neji was still too wounded to battle out if needed.  
  
Out of all four of them, Shikamaru and Kiba were the ones in best shape if they were attacked. Despite this, Neji let go of Kiba as he placed his hands together and performed his Byakugan to make out how many were coming.  
  
"Neji, don't force yourself, you're in worse shape than any of us........." Shikamaru reminded the boy  
  
"I know........." Neji mumbled as he looked around with tired eyes  
  
Akamaru whined a little as Kiba immediately reached for a kunai in his pouch, which alerted the rest of the group of a nearby threat.  
  
"I can confirm there's at least 8 ninjas coming our way." Neji replied as he didn't have much more chakra to keep his Byakugan activated  
  
"Juunin and Anbu" Kiba commented  
  
The four boys where on guard, when a gust of wind lifted the leaves and dirt off the ground and swirled around the genins, as 8 figures appeared and surrounded them.  
  
"Che, this is troublesome" Shikamaru let out as he recognized some of the figures  
  
A number of 4 Anbus were present as well as 4 Juunins.  
  
"Why are you here?" Shikamaru asked  
  
"Hokage-sama managed to get a small team to go after you in case you needed it." Asuma replied as Kurenai was present beside him  
  
The four Juunins present were Kakashi, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai. While the Anbu stood aside as they waited for their orders. Neji started to lose balance as he fell forward, Kiba reached out but still had Akamaru in his arms and couldn't' catch the falling Neji in time.  
  
"Neji!" Kiba yelled out as he felt pain on the right side of his rib cage  
  
Fortunately, Gai moved quickly enough to catch the falling boy in his arms, as he kneeled and laid the boy on the ground to examine his wounds better.  
  
"His wounds are serious, if he doesn't get treatment soon, we'll lose him" Gai said as he tore a piece of clothe and bandaged up the half conscious Neji  
  
Kakashi looked at the group and saw that Sasuke was present as he walked towards his student, while Asuma and Kurenai approached their respected students as well.  
  
"We'll have a long talk Sasuke-kun" Kakashi whispered to the boy as he rested a hand on his shoulder  
  
"Gomen" Were Sasuke's only words as he still felt the stinging pain in his neck  
  
Asuma tapped the shoulder of his student, as Kakashi took the job to be Sasuke's support, while Shikamaru simply let himself fall on his butt, hands pressed against the ground to support him from falling completely, as Asuma smiled at his student.  
  
"We found Chouji. He's at the hospital in intensive care, unconscious for now." Asuma informed the four genins  
  
Kiba walked back a little until his back met a tree and he slowly let his body fall down while sliding against the tree, with Akamaru still bruised up in his arms. Kakashi made sure to let Sasuke rest against the base of a tree, as the curse seals started to slowly retreat to everyone's relief.  
  
"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he noticed the blond was missing  
  
This earned the sad and guilty look of all 4 students, while they all look away from the adult's eyes.  
  
"What happened?" Kakashi asked as he looked down at his own student  
  
"Naruto stayed behind........." Kiba mumbled as Kakashi's eyes now focused on Kiba  
  
"Nani?" All four Juunins let out in shock  
  
"That baka wasn't acting like himself........." Sasuke commented  
  
"Naruto was the best to stall them long enough for us to come back to Konoha........." Shikamaru added  
  
"How long ago?" Kakashi asked with a serious tone  
  
"Half an hour at most. About 10 miles to the north of our current position" Neji managed to speak out despite the pain he felt  
  
Kakashi took a step towards that direction when Gai stood back up as the other two Juunins protested.  
  
"Kakashi, I'm not letting you have all the glory" Gai spoke out with a smile  
  
"Why am I not surprised" Kakashi thought as he sighed  
  
"Take 2 Anbu with you. We'll bring them back at Konoha's hospital faster, but be careful." Kurenai informed them  
  
Kakashi and Gai nodded as they vanished from their sight, as well as 2 members of the Anbu team. Kurenai looked at her student, as she walked over to Neji to see he was now unconscious.  
  
"You're strong Neji. To be able to stay awake that long with a near fatal wound like that" Kurenai thought as Asuma gave out the orders to the other two Anbu members  
  
The remaining adults quickly tended to the wounded genins as they prepared to transport them to Konoha's hospital.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Battling grounds*  
  
Kimimaro made his move as he vanished form Kyubi's sight, while this one sniffed the air to pick of the scent of his enemy without much success.  
  
"Where is he?" Kyubi asked himself when he felt the presence behind him  
  
Kimimaro raised her bone sword in the air, as she slashed Kyubi's back. Fortunately for Kyubi, he'd been able to jumped forward to evade a fatal blow and ended up with a deep cut instead. His chakra took care of the wound as it healed quickly.  
  
Kyubi took this moment to charge forward as his claws connected with Kimimaro's stomach and blood poured out. Kyubi smiled as his claws sank deeper into the body, while the ninja let go of his bone sword.  
  
"I thought you would of entertained me longer" Kyubi grinned  
  
"A fox is truly the lower creature of intelligence" Kimimaro let out  
  
"Nani!?" Kyubi growled as he ripped Kimimaro's body in two  
  
Unfortunately, what he ripped in two pieces and originally injured were a bunshin, a clone, as his clone vanished in smoke. Kyubi's widened as he noticed he had been tricked and toyed with from the beginning.  
  
Kimimaro appeared from the shadows behind the demon, sword lifted as Kyubi felt a sudden pain throughout his left shoulder. Kimimaro's sword had pierced once again Naruto's shoulder and went all the way through his body.  
  
"This time, you die little one" Kimimaro commented as he pulled out another bone from he middle of his palm and prepared to strike Kyubi in the head.  
  
TBC  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Finally after a month and a half written chapter 3  
  
I'm so sorry, the reason I waited was I was trying to get more information on Kimimaro for his attacks but seems I didn't get many.  
  
I also noticed how I lost half of the reviewers after chapter 2 published. So I'd appreciate for those who read to be thoughtful and review ne?  
  
REVIEWS  
  
Naruto_lover : sorry for making you wait for so long, hope you understand why it took so long  
  
Inuchan143 : I'm still not sure of the pairings either but so far it won't be shonen-ai since I have 4 other fics on yaoi already  
  
Pyr00tje : I updated! After a long way of thinking and having my friday off I updated my stories!  
  
Litche sieger : well I was inspired by how Kiba almost dealt with them, so I figured to use something similar.  
  
Emeralblossom : thanks for reviewing and so sorry for the long wait  
  
Rubymoon17 : I'm sure you've been waiting a long time for an update, so if you're a real fan of my stories you can check out my info page, contains how far along I'm in each story as well as those to come and all.  
  
Insanechildfanfic / Red Rose / Shadow Eclipse /Ame No Megami : thanks for reviewing I highly appreciate it  
  
Peter : I'm planning on having Kabuto show up a little in the next chapter, as for the truth being told that will soon come as well because something big is going to happen, but I can't tell you more or else I'll ruin the surprise.  
  
Next Chapter : A New Opponent  
  
The fight between Kyubi and Kimimaro as someone new appears, ally or enemy who knows? The team reaches Konoha's hospital, as Tsunade and the boys have a discussion about what happened during the on going mission.  
  
Sorry for the long wait! And the story will now continue without any hold anymore but please understand that I have 6 on going stories and have a new story coming out as well as two sequels to write, so the chapters can be shorter sometimes so I can update faster.  
  
Read and REVIEW!  
  
Ookima 


	4. A New Opponent

Twist of Fate Chapter 4 : A New Opponent  
  
Synopsis : The fight between Kyubi and Kimimaro continues, as someone new appears, ally or enemy who knows? The team reaches Konoha's hospital, as the boys get the treatment they need, as Tsunade learns of their return.  
  
Pairings : Unknown for now. Suggestions are welcomed  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Timeline :  
  
- This takes place when Shikamaru, and the team he created went after the 4 Ninjas that took Sasuke with them. In other words it's right after Neji finished his battle with his opponent in Manga Volume 22 Chapter 198.  
  
- Sasuke was NOT put in the wooden barrel to begin with  
  
- Sakon is one of the four ninjas under Orochimaru's command. He's the ninja that seems to have two bodies of some sort ( Chapter 200 )  
  
- Kimimaro was sent by Kabuto ( Orochimaru's right hand ) since the four ninjas were taking too long to come back to Orochimaru.  
  
- To me, all underlings of Orochimaru are male, so sorry if they were any females that I wasn't able to spot.  
  
JUTSU LIST :  
  
- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Skill : A forbidden jutsu, that creates clones - which are not just plain illusions (like the normal bunshin no jutsu). Each clone is an exact replica of the user, capable of attacking. A direct hit causes the clone to disappear.  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Urousai = Shut Up -  
  
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn  
  
All notes concerning future reviews will be replied at the bottom of the story.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Battling grounds*  
  
Kimimaro made his move as he vanished form Kyubi's sight, while this one sniffed the air to pick of the scent of his enemy without much success.  
  
"Where is he?" Kyubi asked himself when he felt the presence behind him  
  
Kimimaro raised his bone sword in the air, as he slashed Kyubi's back. Fortunately for Kyubi, he'd been able to jumped forward to evade a fatal blow and ended up with a deep cut instead. His chakra took care of the wound as it healed quickly.  
  
Kyubi took this moment to charge forward as his claws connected with Kimimaro's stomach and blood poured out. Kyubi smiled as his claws sank deeper into the body, while the ninja let go of his bone sword.  
  
"I thought you would of entertained me longer" Kyubi grinned  
  
"A fox is truly the lower creature of intelligence" Kimimaro let out  
  
"Nani!?" Kyubi growled as he ripped Kimimaro's body in two  
  
Unfortunately, what he ripped in two pieces and originally injured were a bunshin, a clone, as his clone vanished in smoke. Kyubi's widened as he noticed he had been tricked and toyed with from the beginning.  
  
Kimimaro appeared from the shadows behind the demon, sword lifted as Kyubi felt a sudden pain throughout his left shoulder. Kimimaro's sword had pierced once again Naruto's shoulder and went all the way through his body.  
  
"This time, you die little one" Kimimaro commented as he pulled out another bone from he middle of his palm and prepared to strike Kyubi in the head.  
  
----  
  
Kyubi barely had the time to turn his head to see what was going to happen, as he was aware he needed to act right away. Despite the pain he felt in his shoulder from the initial attack, there was only one option left that crossed his mind to evade the deadly strike.  
  
"This is going to hurt ..." Kyubi told himself as he prepared to put his plan into action.  
  
Kyubi gathered his chakra once more at his feet, as he pushed against the ground, not forward, but backwards, as he forced his own body to collide with the enemy behind him. By doing so, the bone stabbed him deeper through the shoulder and exited, in most part in front of the Kyubi.  
  
Kimimaro was caught off guard, as he had trouble to maintain his balance, as both bodies fell to the ground, the demon on top of his own. Kyubi's mouth opened but no sound came out, as he quickly reacted , and twisted his body on the same side as his wounded shoulder, in hopes to brake the sword made of bone and distance himself from his enemy.  
  
Kyubi gripped the bone from his front side, and gathered a great amount of chakra to brake it off from the base, in other words, from Kimimaro's hand. The red chakra could clearly be seen from Kyubi's hands as it entered the bone, passed through his shoulder as a loud cracking sound was heard.  
  
Kyubi felt the bone had shattered as he quickly jumped off his attacker, but the bone remained in his shoulder. Kyubi landed on his feet, as he placed a hand on the ground to stop him from moving, as his eyes never left the other shinobi.  
  
Kimimaro slowly stood up as he observed his hand to notice the small fragment of bone he still held in the palm of his hand. He slowly stood up, as he threw the bone to the ground and took hold of the other one he was going to use to kill Kyubi.  
  
Kimimaro glared at the Kyubi, as he regained his attack position and observed the demon carefully. Kyubi stood up as well as he gripped the bone still lodged in his shoulder and slowly pulled it out. The wound began to heal slowly, as the Kyubi waved the newly acquired weapon towards his opponent.  
  
"Nice weapon." Kyubi teased his rival with a smile.  
  
"I'm surprised you managed to brake my bone." Kimimaro replied, eyes filled with anger.  
  
"A demon's chakra is more powerful than those of humans." Kyubi stated as he prepared to attack once more, since his wound was nothing more than a scratch now.  
  
Both raised their swords and lunched themselves at each other once again, as the fierce battle continued between two opponents.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Somewhere ...*  
  
In a dark room, an unknown male shinobi sat down on a chair and remained still, while a younger shinobi came within the room, and handed out a glass of water to the other one.  
  
"Have they returned yet?" The unidentified shinobi asked as he took sips of the water.  
  
"I have yet heard form them ... Orochimaru-sama." The shinobi known as Kabuto and the traitor of Konoha answered his master.  
  
"This is unlike them." The young shinobi spoke out, as he now was Orochimaru.  
  
"I sent Kimimaro-san half an hour ago, I'm surprised he has yet returned with the 4 other members and Sasuke-sama." Kabuto replied as he picked up the glass form Orochimaru's hands to place it on a nearby table.  
  
"That old hag must of sent a team ..." Orochimaru started as he stood up form his chair.  
  
"Even so, she couldn't possibly send any Jounins or Anbus. We inflicted them enough damage so only the genins remained on active duty." Kabuto reminded his master as lit a candle to inlighten the room a little.  
  
"Then she must have sent the Kyubi brat with a small but effective team to retrieve their precious teammate." Orochimaru stated as he retreated himself in a dark corner of the room.  
  
"Uzumaki Naruto. Even though he possesses the Kyubi within him, Kimimaro should easily be capable of defeating the boy." Kabuto reminded the snake, since he knew Kimimaro was even stronger than the 4 sound ninjas.  
  
"I'm aware of that Kabuto, the kid is the least of my worries, it's the Kyubi I'm worried about. If this one manages to surface once, things could get out of hand." Orochimaru carefully explained to his right hand man.  
  
"What do you wish for me to do then?" Kabuto asked, curious to what Orochimaru has in mind.  
  
"Join them. I want to know what's taking them so long to bring Sasuke-kun to me." Orochimaru gave out his order.  
  
As he stood in the dark corner of the room, Kabuto prepared to leave although inside of himself, he thought that it was being too careful, but after all, Orochimaru always had good reasons to react in his own strange ways.  
  
"Wait." Orochimaru spoke out as Kabut froze under the doorframe.  
  
"Yes? Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto softly asked, as he rested a hand against the doorframe.  
  
"If you meet the Kyubi brat, I want you to dispose of him in the worse possible way." Orochimaru informed him as an evil smile crept his lips.  
  
"You want me to use THAT technique on him?" Kabuto asked but he already knew the answer.  
  
"Hai. With him out of the way, Sasuke-kun won't have any more links with Konoha." Orochimaru half explained as he examined the newly acquired body in a nearby mirror.  
  
"As you wish, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto spoke his last words as he left the room and prepared himself to join up with Kimimaro.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Hospital*  
  
A few Anbus, along with two Jounins, Asuma and Kurenai, entered the hospital with the injured members of the search team, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Kiba, Akamaru and Neji.  
  
The nurses and doctors immediately stopped their current work, as they rushed to the teams. Of all the genins, only Shikamaru stood on his own two feet, while Neji and Sasuke laid down on separate stretchers, although Sasuke remained conscious despite the continuous pain the curse mark on his neck inflicted to him.  
  
Asuma and Shikamaru remained near Sasuke, while Kurenai had her hands full with Kiba who currently rested in her arms, as well as Akamaru, who was sound asleep on his master's stomach.  
  
"Oh my god ..." One of the nurse let out as she saw how badly hurt Hyuga Neji was.  
  
"Please follow us." The nurse in charge told the group, as she pointed to a big room a few meters away from their current position.  
  
The group simply followed the nurse into the room without any hesitation.  
  
--- Empty Hospital Rooms ---  
  
The Anbu who carried both Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji, quickly transferred them on the bed, as the nurses quickly tended to Neji's wounds first, while Sasuke struggled with the pain he still felt.  
  
Kurenai walked over to another empty bed, as she carefully laid her student on it, and looked over at Neji's bed. Asuma and Shikamaru stood in the doorframe, as they both let out a sigh.  
  
The room was painted white, as it had a number of 6 separated bed, all within a distance of 1 meter each. Even though hospital rooms are suppose to be single, this one was a genuine copy only it had 6 beds instead, 3 on each side of the room, as the window lighten up the middle of it.  
  
"How long has he been unconscious?" A doctor asked as he took Neji's pulse.  
  
"15 minutes at most." Kurenai quickly answered as she leaned against the wall, a little exhausted by all that happened and still to come.  
  
"Get me two pouches of 0 negative blood now" The doctor order a nurse, as this one ran out of the room to fetch the items in question.  
  
"Will he be alright?" Shikamaru asked a bit worried, from seeing the gloves of the doctor covered with his teammates blood.  
  
"He's lost a lot of blood and his chakra level is almost depleted. If I can get that wound under control, he'll have better chances." The doctor explained as he quickly scanned Neji's shoulder to make a proper decision.  
  
In the mean time, Sasuke tried to raise his body to sit up in his bed, but the curse held him down. Kurenai noticed what the boy was trying to do as she rushed to his side immediately, and placed her hands firmly against his shoulder, so that he would remain down.  
  
"Don't strain your body more than it already is Sasuke." Kurenai spoke to the boy with worried eyes as the marks still showed on the boy's body and face.  
  
"Yo Anbu." Asuma called out to the Anbu, as he reached into his pocket and grabbed a new cigarette.  
  
"Yes?" Then leader replied, as his two subordinates stayed behind him.  
  
"Mind telling Hokage to come here now?" Asuma said as he lit his cigarette.  
  
"Done." The Anbu leader spoke as they vanished form the room, only to leave a trail of smoke behind them.  
  
The nurse returned with the blood pouches, as she noticed Asuma that was smoking. Her face showed a very angry expression, as she grabbed the cigarette violently and tossed it on the floor and placed her foot over it to extinguish it.  
  
"No smoking in a hospital!" The nurse yelled out in an angry tone as she joined the doctor and her fellow nurses.  
  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he couldn't believe his own sensei actually did that, as the painful growls of Kiba caught their attention. The boy seemed to slowly regain consciousness as his fingers began to move and he opened his eyes.  
  
"Where the hell am I...?" Kiba asked as he tried to move his body, but soon found out it brought more pain than it already was if he stayed still.  
  
"Calm down Kiba, we're at the hospital." Shikamaru spoke out loud enough so that he could be heard.  
  
Shikamaru walked over to Kiba's bed, while Kurenai, made sure to take a looka t Kiba as well, since Sasuke's current bed, and Kiba's were right next to each other.  
  
"Akamaru ..." Kiba mumbled as he also tried to sit up to find his long time companion.  
  
"Stay still Kiba. Akamaru's fine, he's just sleeping on your stomach right now." Kurenai explained as she still had a hand pressed on Sasuke's left shoulder to make sure he wouldn't attempt anything.  
  
As the minutes passed, the silence consumed the room as only the voices of the doctor and the few nurses present could be heard. They finally finished sewing up Neji, as the doctor removed the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and seemed relieved.  
  
Sasuke looked over at Neji, to see a few needles stuck in his arms, while he had an oxygen mask to help him breath, as the wound had been very close to his lungs.  
  
"Will he be ..." Kiba asked but never had the opportunity to finish his question.  
  
"He'll be fine, he only needs a lot of bed rest. He was lucky though ... If the attack would have been 5 centimeters below or the to left, we wouldn't be having this conversation." The doctor explained as everyone was quite shock that Neji came really close to losing his life.  
  
The doctor then walked over to Kiba as he examined the boy closely, while all eyes were locked with every movement the doctor did.  
  
"A few bruises and cuts. You do have 3 broken ribs, but compared to your friend, you'll be able to train after 3 weeks of bed rest. As for you young man ..." The doctor walked to check Shikamaru. "A nurse will come and sew that wound of yours." The doctor finished, as he left the room, and left the 3 nurses to take care of the rest.  
  
"Why didn't he check Sasuke?" Kiba asked, as he remained still in his bed.  
  
"Only Tsunade can help with Sasuke's current condition, and hopefully she'll arrive very soon" Kurenai explained as the boys understood.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Tsunade's Office*  
  
Tsunade looked out the window as her worries had yet disappeared from her mind. After all, she sent a team of genins after the four sounds to retrieve Sasuke. She questioned herself as she ignored all the paperwork she need to do, when a certain sound captured her attention.  
  
"Hokage-sama." The Anbu leader spoke out as his two companions stood a little behind him.  
  
Tsunade turned around to face all three Anbus, as she seemed annoyed at their presence.  
  
"What is it now?" Tsunade coldly asked as she sat down on her desk and crossed her arms.  
  
"You're presence is immediately required at the hospital." The Anbu replied with a neutral tone.  
  
"Did something happened to that Lee kid again?" Tsunade spoke out with concern.  
  
"Iie, Shikamaru has returned with his team, and have retrieved Uchiha Sasuke. They are waiting for you in Room 201." The Anbu informed her.  
  
It didn't take long for Tsunade to rush out of her office and head straight for the hospital, still unaware that Naruto wasn't with them.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Battlefield*  
  
Swords clashed many times, as each attack was easily blocked by the other. Both jumped back in the air as their swords clashed together once more, but this time, the Kyubi decided to add a kick to spice things up.  
  
Kimimaro easily dodged, as he decided to punch the demon with his fist, but Kyubi caught it with his free hand, as the fist was only a few centimeters away. Kimimaro simply smiled, as he uncurled his fingers and opened his hand so as something quickly came out of the middle of his palm once again.  
  
"Chikushou ..." Kyubi cursed under his breath as he barely had time to move his head to avoid what could have been a fatal attack.  
  
Kyubi had quickly leaned his head towards the left, as the tip of the bone scrapped his cheek, and added a new mark to his visage. Kyubi quickly released his grip as he leaped backwards and landed once more to the ground, his eyes never leaving his opponent.  
  
"Is your host aware that the only reason he's still breathing is because of you?" Kimimaro asked as he wiped off the blood from his seconds bone sword.  
  
"The kit is aware of it." Kyubi replied as he wiped off the trail of blood form his cheek his the back of his hand.  
  
"Why do you fight for him? After all his Village is the reason you were sealed. Why not join Orochimaru-sama, surely he could release you ..." Kimimaru mumbled as both of them walked in a circle like, but the distance remained the same between them.  
  
"That wrecked so called human of yours is the rest I was sealed even more. Besides, the kit made me an offer I could hardly refused ..." Kyubi mumbled as he stopped moving and glared at his opponent.  
  
"I see ..." Kimimaro whispered to himself, as he held his two swords and crossed them together.  
  
Kyubi simply stabbed the ground with the sword, as it stood right before him, vertically, while Kyubi joined his hands together and started to perform a seal.  
  
"What is it trying to do this time?" Kimimaro wondered, but wouldn't take the chance to underestimate the creature again.  
  
Kimimaro charged forward again, but uncrossed his hands and swords and he aimed for Kyubi's vital points.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Hospital*  
  
--- Room 201 ---  
  
Both Jounins remained silent as they simply observed carefully their students to make sure they had everything they needed, as Kurenai tried her best to help diminish Sasuke's pain.  
  
"I'm glad to see you're all safe." Tsunade spoke out from the door as she entered the room.  
  
"Hokage-sama?" Kurenai let out as she stood up again to meet the new Hoakge.  
  
Tsunade's eyes immediately focused on Sasuke, sicne his mark were very noticeable. She walked to his side, as she took his hand in hers and placed her other hand on the boy's forehead.  
  
"When did this happen?" Tsunade asked as she turned her head to meet the gazes of both Jounins.  
  
"About 45 minutes ago. The guy called Kimimaro did some hand seals and then the marks of the curse started to spread." Shikamaru answered instead, since he knew better than anyone the situation.  
  
"I see. Fortunately for you little one, Kakashi's previous seal seemed to have helped you so it wouldn't affect your growth. Surely your sensei must have explained this to you?" Tsunade asked as she checked the boy's curse mark closer.  
  
"Hai ..." Sasuke only said as he avoided any eye contact.  
  
Tsunade then stood up as she walked over to Neji's bed, seeing how much the boy was injured, with some many needles in his arms. She placed both hands about 20 centimeters above Neji's wound, as she concentrated chakra within them.  
  
"What is she doing?" Kiba asked as he could only see her partially.  
  
"Tsunade-sama is one of the legendary sennin. Her specialty is in the medic field and healing." Kurenai answered her student as she tapped his feet.  
  
After a few minutes, Tsunade finally removed her hands, as she then took the oxygen mask off of Neji's mouth and nose, while she stepped away to join the small group to where Kiba rested.  
  
"Your friend will get better now, he no longer needs medical help, only bed rest for a few weeks, to give him enough time for his shoulder to heal." Tsunade informed them, as she knew they wondered of what she had done.  
  
Tsunade was about to speak again when she noticed someone was actually missing. Her eyes scanned the room carefully to see if the boy was not laying down on a bed, as this started to worry her.  
  
"Where's Naruto?" Tsunade asked as her eyes continued to scan the room to be sure he wasn't present, until her gaze fell on the students.  
  
Sasuke simply looked towards Neji's direction to then close his eyes, while Kiba looked down and cursed under his breath. Shikamaru couldn't help but lower his head, to then let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. Kurenai and Asuma exchanged worried looks as even they didn't know the whole story yet.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Battlefield*  
  
Kyubi immediately grabbed the end of his sword, as he violently pulled it out of the dirt and prepared to defend himself. The fox took a step forward as he pointed the sword towards Kimimaro and simply smiled.  
  
Kyubi then tapped hi foot against the ground 3 times, and then planted his sword back in the ground to his left side, and marked the ground. He grabbed the sword with his other hand, as he sliced the ground before him in a half circle and stopped once he reached the right side of his feet.  
  
"Things are about to get really fun..." Kyubi stated, as the soil came out from the cut before the fox.  
  
Kimimaro immediately changed of direction, as he decided to evade the temporary wall of soil, as he attacked form behind the fox. Kyubi turned around, to counter this attack, with the same sword.  
  
Kimimaro lifted his right sword in the air, as he was blocked by Kyubi's sword. The only thing that stood between his victory, was the sword the fox had stolen from him.  
  
Kimimaro smiled lightly, as he placed more force into that attack, as he still had his left sword left to attack. The shinobi thrust his left sword from under the Kyubi's guard as it stabbed it in the stomach and exited in the back of the fox's body.  
  
Kyubi's eyes widened in shock, as he felt the sharp object enter and pass through his stomach in a moment of carelessness, when he heard strange noise that came from in front of him.  
  
Crack  
  
"Nani!?" Kyubi let out as he noticed that the sword he held started to crack from the pressure of blocking the other.  
  
"I must admit, you were a worthy opponent, but this is the end." Kimimaro stated as he gathered chakra to his right hand to put more strain on his opponent's sword.  
  
Kyubi's sword shattered in pieces, since it could no longer endure the stress placed on it, while Kimimaro charged forth his sword forward, since the demon no longer had anything to defend his vital points.  
  
The pieces of the sword fell on the ground, while the shinobi's sword pierced the tanned skin of the young boy, now demon before him. The sword had penetrated and passed through Kyubi's neck, as blood started to spur out of the deadly wound.  
  
"How is that ..." Kyubi muttered as the pain intensified.  
  
"These are my bones, I know all too well their weakness." Kimimaro answered.  
  
Kimimaro left his sword in the demon's neck, as he twisted it a little to the right and then to the left, to increase the pain and the feeling of death, while he then retreated both swords from the demon's body.  
  
Kyubi fell to his knees, as his clawed hands wrapped themselves around his neck to stop the bleeding, while he coughed up more blood on the ground. Kimimaro kneeled before his soon to be dead opponent, as he gently caressed the fox's cheek, so their eyes would meet one last time.  
  
"It's been a long time since any shinobi has brought me trouble, but demon or not, no one is stronger than me except for Orochimaru-sama. Be happy Kyubi, you'll finally be free from this pathetic boy's body." Kimimaro let out as he stood back up and stepped away from the demon.  
  
Kimimaro's eyes widened as Kyubi lifted his head up to lock his red eyes with those of the older shinobi. But what shocked Kimimaro the most was the fact Kyubi smiled ...  
  
"Why is he smiling? Has he gone completely insane?" Kimimaro asked himself as his expression showed he was confused.  
  
Suddenly, Kimimaro's eyes shot wide open as his body seemed to fall forward, as something pierced his chest. The shinobi fell to his knees, as he took hold of the object to notice it was one of his bones.  
  
He came face to face with the dying Kyubi when he heard a voice that came from behind him. He turned his head around, to see another Kyubi who stood only a meter away from himself, as he turned back to the other Kyubi.  
  
"How is this ..." Kimimaro muttered as he stared back at the fox.  
  
Kyubi applied more pressure on Kimimaro's wound, well aware that this one didn't have such a healing ability like himself, as he then grabbed the sword and took it out, by not pulling it out, but by ripping it out from the shinobi's side.  
  
Kimimaro's yell filled the silent forest, as he bleed enormously and the pain prevented him from doing anything. Now the shinobi had a large open gap from his chest to his side, as Kyubi held the sword within his hand, while he's free one forced the other shinobi to face the ground.  
  
Kyubi then grabbed the shinobi tightly around the neck, as he brought him to his level, his back who pressed against the demon's front chest, while Kimimaro was on his knees and faced the other Kyubi.  
  
"Even though I'm still sealed within the kit, I learned all that he learned, in other words, I used his most favorite Jutsu, and simply made it stronger so you couldn't see through it." Kyubi explained as the clone vanished in smoke before them.  
  
"The Kage Bunshin...?" Kimimaro let out as blood trailed down form the side of his mouth.  
  
"A forbidden jutsu that's saved us many times." Kyubi whispered into Kimimaro's ear as he moved his hand to have a firm grip on his enemy's hair, while the body had a tendency to fall forward.  
  
"Game's over" Kyubi let out, as he prepared to strike Kimimaro in the back of the head to assure his kill.  
  
As he prepared to make his move, his nose picked up a new scent, and immediately he leaped backwards in time to evade a dozen kunais that stabbed the ground where he stood seconds ago.  
  
Kyubi looked up as a new player entered the game, one he couldn't sense until it was almost too late. The mysterious shinobi stood on a large branch as he seemed to look down as both Kimimaro and then back at him. He then raised a hand as he lifted his glasses back up at the right place.  
  
"It's been a while ... Naruto-kun ... Or should I say Kyubi-sama?" The familiar voice spoke out as he locked eyes with the Kyubi.  
  
TBC ...  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Chapter 4 finally done! Honestly, I thought I would finish this small saga within 3 chapters but I had like too many ideas that popped up in my head so it's going to be longer, despite the sudden loss of reviews for an unknown reason.  
  
Now those who review, be really happy, this chapter had like 4500 + words in it! It's a miracle since when I try to do them short they end u long, good for you though. So Don't forget to review ne??  
  
REVIEWS  
  
Ookami Kage : I also update my two best fics if you haven't checked them out yet. I really hope to have more reviews because when I think of it I had like 20 something and now I'm down at barely 8. Oh well, my two latest fic compensate for the loss I suppose.  
  
Red Rose : thanks fro reviewing. Highly appreciated that you stayed loyal.  
  
Rubymoon17 : Well now you gotta wait for chapter 5 now ne?  
  
Litch Sieger : I finally got chapter 211 on the manga and it gave me this new idea of the battle they'll have. Thanks for the help.  
  
Insanechildfanfic : thanks for the complement and review!  
  
EmeraldBlossom : I update as soon as I can but the fics that have the priority of updates or my A New Path as well as Rivals or Lovers?. But I have this one as the third when reviews come in.  
  
Arbil : You weren't the only one to have trouble accessing the site, I had the same problem. Their server seemed so slow and all. Hope you had time to check out my other updates. Thanks for the review and hope you liked this chapter.  
  
Shadow Eclipse : Well as I explained to EmeralBlossom, I update as I can. This week I was lucky since I had a week-end of 5 days! So hopefully I can be crazy enough to update all fics and add two new stories by monday.  
  
Next Chapter :  
  
Kabuto enters the fight with Kyubi, as the Jounins are getting closer to Naruto. Meanwhile at the hospital, the genins begin to explain the strange behavior of Naruto as well as what really happened to him.  
  
Thanks again for reviewing  
  
Make sure to check out my other fics too  
  
Happy Easter everyone!  
  
Till next time  
  
And don't forget to REVIEW!  
  
Ookima 


	5. Forbidden Jutsu

Twist of Fate Chapter 5 : Forbidden Jutsu  
  
Synopsis : Kabuto finally arrives, as he conceives a new plan due to the dangerous situation their in. Kabuto will be forced to use a forbidden Jutsu, but will he be able to get close enough to Kyubi to realize it?  
  
Pairings : Unknown for now. Suggestions are welcomed  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
Timeline :  
  
- This takes place when Shikamaru, and the team he created went after the 4 Ninjas that took Sasuke with them. In other words it's right after Neji finished his battle with his opponent in Manga Volume 22 Chapter 198.  
  
- Sasuke was NOT put in the wooden barrel to begin with  
  
- Sakon is one of the four ninjas under Orochimaru's command. He's the ninja that seems to have two bodies of some sort ( Chapter 200 )  
  
- Kimimaro was sent by Kabuto ( Orochimaru's right hand ) since the four ninjas were taking too long to come back to Orochimaru.  
  
- To me, all underlings of Orochimaru are male, so sorry if they were any females that I wasn't able to spot.  
  
JUTSU LIST :  
  
- Doton Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu - Inner Decapitation Skill - Description: The user hides beneath the ground, and reaches up to grab their opponent. The opponent is then pulled under the ground, up to their chin, allowing the head to be subject to move powerful jutsu.  
  
- Gyaku no Jutsu – Reverse no Jutsu – Description : A forbidden Jutsu that Kabuto came to learn during his first years under Orochimaru's care. This seals the chakra of an opponent, as well to reverse it's effects on the body. In other words, every wound that the chakra healed during the last 24 hours, will surface and the damage will return.  
  
- Rasengan – Description : Naruto learned this move within a week, as Jiraiya taught him this. It gathers chakra within the palm of your hand, as it begins to swirl, until the ball of chakra is complete. Inflicts as much damage as Kakashi's Chidori.  
  
JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Urousai = Shut Up -  
  
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn  
  
All notes concerning future reviews will be replied at the bottom of the story.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Battlefield*  
  
Suddenly, Kimimaro's eyes shot wide open as his body seemed to fall forward, as something pierced his chest. The shinobi fell to his knees, as he took hold of the object to notice it was one of his bones.  
  
He came face to face with the dying Kyubi when he heard a voice that came from behind him. He turned his head around, to see another Kyubi who stood only a meter away from himself, as he turned back to the other Kyubi.  
  
"How is this ..." Kimimaro muttered as he stared back at the fox.  
  
Kyubi applied more pressure on Kimimaro's wound, well aware that this one didn't have such a healing ability like himself, as he then grabbed the sword and took it out, by not pulling it out, but by ripping it out from the shinobi's side.  
  
Kimimaro's yell filled the silent forest, as he bleed enormously and the pain prevented him from doing anything. Now the shinobi had a large open gap from his chest to his side, as Kyubi held the sword within his hand, while he's free one forced the other shinobi to face the ground.  
  
Kyubi then grabbed the shinobi tightly around the neck, as he brought him to his level, his back who pressed against the demon's front chest, while Kimimaro was on his knees and faced the other Kyubi.  
  
"Even though I'm still sealed within the kit, I learned all that he learned, in other words, I used his most favorite Jutsu, and simply made it stronger so you couldn't see through it." Kyubi explained as the clone vanished in smoke before them.  
  
"The Kage Bunshin...?" Kimimaro let out as blood trailed down form the side of his mouth.  
  
"A forbidden jutsu that's saved us many times." Kyubi whispered into Kimimaro's ear as he moved his hand to have a firm grip on his enemy's hair, while the body had a tendency to fall forward.  
  
"Game's over" Kyubi let out, as he prepared to strike Kimimaro in the back of the head to assure his kill.  
  
As he prepared to make his move, his nose picked up a new scent, and immediately he leaped backwards in time to evade a dozen kunais that stabbed the ground where he stood seconds ago.  
  
Kyubi looked up as a new player entered the game, one he couldn't sense until it was almost too late. The mysterious shinobi stood on a large branch as he seemed to look down as both Kimimaro and then back at him. He then raised a hand as he lifted his glasses back up at the right place.  
  
"It's been a while ... Naruto-kun ... Or should I say Kyubi-sama?" The familiar voice spoke out as he locked eyes with the Kyubi.  
  
------  
  
Within a second, Kabuto vanished from Kyubi's sight, as he quickly picked up Kimimaro's body off the ground and jumped back into a tree, out of the fox's sight of course.  
  
"Things are about to get messy ..." Kyubi let out as he sniffed the air to locate his opponents.  
  
---- Hidden in a Tree ----  
  
Kabuto quickly put down Kimimaro on the large branch, as the medic-nin placed his hands over the other shinobi's deep and fatal wound, to heal it.  
  
"You're lucky Orochimaru-sama sent me in case this would happen." Kabuto whispered to his fallen comrade, as he removed his hands from over the wound, to reveal this one was no more.  
  
"I never expected a brat to actually come near my level of skills." Kimimaro shot back at the shinobi as he slowly stood back up on his feet, as they observed from the shadows, what Kyubi's next move would be.  
  
"Where's Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto asked as he moved his glasses higher on his nose.  
  
"That fool Sakon spilled out Orochimaru's true plan, while the brat was awake and not yet under our control. Then this dog and shadow creator went back to Konoha with Sasuke." Kimimaro informed the medic-nin.  
  
"Why didn't you pursue them?" Kabuto asked as he glared at the great shinobi.  
  
"I did, but somehow that brat managed to make the Kyubi surface, and this one used a barrier composed of his own chakra. He then imprisoned me as well until he finally finished Sakon. I had the upper hand, until a moment ago." Kimimaro spoke out with a low voice, as his eyes remained on the fox below them.  
  
"Why?" Kabuto asked seriously.  
  
"Despite the fact it's the demon fox who's in complete control, he can use every skill the brat learned throughout his living years. And that fox is as much as a trickster and very cunning." Kimimaro explained as Kabuto now knew what to expect from the soon to come battle.  
  
"He's the demon fox after all." Kabuto reminded his comrade, as he reached inside the holster and pulled out several kunais.  
  
"So what now? His chakra keeps regenerating him no matter how many times you stab the damn thing." Kimimaro let out with anger.  
  
"From the moment he turned into the Kyubi, how many injuries has he healed and where?" Kabuto asked as he was curious to the damage his old friend had sustained.  
  
"A few times in the shoulder, once through his stomach, many scratches over his entire body, and so on. Why?" Kimimaro asked a bit curious to why Kabuto would ask him such questions.  
  
"I want you to make as much damage as you can and then use that technique of yours to hold him still, long enough, for me to do a certain jutsu..." Kabuto trailed off.  
  
"Jutsu? If I wasn't able to defeat him then how can you possibly ..." Kimimaro doubted the medic-nin until he cut him off.  
  
"I'm not Orochimaru-sama's right hand man for nothing." Kabuto let out as he jumped out of that tree and onto another much closer to his target.  
  
---- Ground Level ----  
  
Kyubi stood still as he knew from the brat's past experience, that Kimimaro would be back in the fight really soon, as well to expect an attack very soon from one of them.  
  
"One of them is right there..." Kyubi mumbled to himself, as three kunais headed straight for the fox's back.  
  
Kyubi quickly jumped out of the way to evade the attack, as Kabuto finally showed himself.  
  
Kabuto revealed himself, as he jumped down form his original hide-out, and landed only a few meters away from Kyubi, but still held a kunai within his hand.  
  
"If I remember correctly, I almost killed you last time." Kyubi reminded the shinobi with an evil smile, but never took his eyes off his new prey.  
  
"I almost killed you as well." Kabuto replied sarcastically as he locked eyes with the demon as well.  
  
"True, but this time, I have complete control, and so far, the two supposed great shinobis have been but my toys to play with. What makes you think you're better than them?" Kyubi asked with a playful tone.  
  
"Because, only Orochimaru-sama has been able to defeat me." Kabuto replied, as he vanished from the fox's sight.  
  
"He's fast ..." Kyubi thought as he paid attention to all his senses to track this one's movements, and without forgetting the other one as well.  
  
Kyubi stood on guard, as he eyes changed from right to the left every second, as he placed his hands near the ground, ready to pounce if needed to avoid another attack.  
  
---- Somewhere In the Trees ----  
  
Kimimaro observed the scene carefully as he was aware he had yet been detected. He slowly slipped off the his shirt from his shoulders, all the way down to his waist, as a few distinct markings could be seen on his chest.  
  
"I wonder if this will keep him from moving ..." Kimimaro questioned himself, as he knew the fox always recovered from even fatal wounds so far.  
  
Kimimaro extended his arm, as his fingers spread apart, as he only closed three among the five, as bumps started to form on that particular arm. Within seconds, many bones ruptured the skin, without one droplet of blood spilt.  
  
A number of 8 bones came out from the middle of his arm, near his wrist, as they were long and sharp, and followed the movements of his hand. He then kneeled on the branch, as he waited for an opening to make his entrance.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Hospital*  
  
---- Room 201 ----  
  
"Where's Naruto?" Tsunade asked as her eyes continued to scan the room to be sure he wasn't present, until her gaze fell on the students.  
  
Sasuke simply looked towards Neji's direction to then close his eyes, while Kiba looked down and cursed under his breath. Shikamaru couldn't help but lower his head, to then let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. Kurenai and Asuma exchanged worried looks as even they didn't know the whole story yet.  
  
"Tsunade-sama, you might want to sit down and ..." Kurenai approached the Hokage with precaution as she was aware of the special and yet strange relationship between the two.  
  
"Answer me dammit!" Tsunade yelled loud enough for the entire hospital to hear her.  
  
"He stayed behind ..." Sasuke let out as he stared at the ceiling.  
  
"Behind? Why?" Tsunade asked with worry.  
  
"We were up against two powerful high class shinobis. Me and Kiba were injured, as our chakra was completely depleted and because of Sasuke's curse seal, we had no choice but to retreat. The only problem was, we still hadn't defeated them ..." Shikamaru explained as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.  
  
"That idiot stayed behind so we could complete the mission ..." Kiba put in a few words to help out his comrades.  
  
"Naruto fought against those two alone!?" Tsunade asked as she leaned against the wall for support.  
  
"Hai ..." Sasuke mumbled as his curse marks seemed to stop spreading but remained visible on his pale skin.  
  
"What the hell is he thinking!?" Tsunade shouted while she punched the wall.  
  
"His spirit is too strong ... He won't loose ... And he'll come back ... Even if he has to crawl to get back here ..." Neji let out as his eyes barely opened to show the boy was indeed conscious.  
  
"Neji ..." The boys spoke out their comrades name, happy to hear his words.  
  
"Kami protect him ..." Tsunade thought as she walked towards the window to look out at the far away forest.  
  
---- In The Hallway ----  
  
The proud green beast of Konoha walked in the hallway, who just had his surgery 2 days ago, and seemed to be recovering very quickly, as he no longer needed help from the crutches.  
  
Besides him, stood the pink haired girl, Haruno Sakura, that held a vase with a few fresh lowers in them as they headed out for Lee's room, so the boy could get some rest.  
  
"Sakura-san, you shouldn't worry, Naruto-kun and the others will retrieve Sasuke." Lee reassured the girl who walked beside him.  
  
"I only hope they all come back safely too." Sakura expressed her worries, as Lee gently patted her on the back, and gave her the famous shining smile and thumb up.  
  
"Eh? Isn't that Shikamaru?" Lee asked as he pointed to Room 201.  
  
"That can't be ... Shikamaru was the one who led the team to get Sasuke-kun back ..." Sakura let out as she was shocked to see the Chuunin in the room.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha forest*  
  
---- Battlefield ----  
  
Kyubi raised his head to sniff the air once more, as he detected nothing at all, only a faint smell that belonged to Kimimaro, but for now he felt no threat coming from that shinobi. What worried him the most, was where Kabuto hid himself.  
  
"There's no way he could disguise his smell ... Unless ..." Kyubi thought as his eyes immediately stared at the ground beneath him.  
  
Seconds later, the ground beneath the fox shattered as this one felt two hands grab his ankles and pull him under the soil.  
  
"Chikushou." Kyubi cursed, as he gathered chakra to his feet and hands.  
  
By doing this, Kyubi spread his hands towards the outside, as his hands made contact with the soil, before his body would completely be submerged. The moment his hands met the ground, Kyubi released a great amount of chakra through them, which gave him the power to be pushed out of the trap, as the chakra at his feet, forced Kabuto to release his grip on him.  
  
"I'm surprised you managed to get out of it ..." Kabuto spoke to the Kyubi as he emerged from the hole in the ground.  
  
Kyubi made sure that he stood at a safe distance form his attacker, but the moment he fell on his feet, he fell to his knees, as pain soon struck them.  
  
"What the ?" Kyubi let out in surprise.  
  
"The moment I grabbed your ankles, I inserted some of my chakra so I could restrict your movements. Of course this makes it easier now to kill you now that you're not running everywhere." Kabuto explained as he readjusted his glasses once again.  
  
"It takes more than that to bring a demon down." Kyubi spoke out with a grin, as he joined his hands together and brought forth more of his chakra.  
  
Red chakra swirled around the fox as the ground that surrounded him started to brake. Kabuto crossed his arms and raised them to protect his face, while he took a few steps back due to the intensity of the fox's chakra.  
  
The blue chakra that Kabuto had inserted within the fox's ankles, could be seen by the naked eye, as the red chakra started to mix with it, but soon after, the blue one vanished.  
  
Naruto pressed a hand against the ground as this helped him to get back on his feet, since now the chakra had been eliminated and thus his movements returned.  
  
"It seems I overestimated you..." Kabuto let out as the red chakra calmed down and returned to its host.  
  
Kyubi glared at the sound-nin as he carefully sniffed the air once more to be sure of the other one's position.  
  
"I'm getting tired of this ..." Kyubi said as his red chakra surrounded his body and then vanished before his opponent on the ground and out of Kimimaro's sight as well.  
  
"Nani?" Kabuto let out as he expected to be attacked from behind.  
  
---- In The Trees ----  
  
Kimimaro leaned forward as he noticed the Kyubi was no longer in sight, as Kabuto shared a short moment, with the shinobi to warn him, he could not detect the demon.  
  
"Where is that brat?" Kimimaro let out as he clenched his fists.  
  
Suddenly, the branch where Kimimaro stood, lowered a little, as though there was some extra weight on it.  
  
"Right here..." Kyubi playfully said with a grin, as Kimimaro turned around to meet the crimson eyes of the demon.  
  
Naruto had jumped up in the tree, well aware of Kimimaro's position, as he only stood a meter away from the great shinobi. The moment Kimimaro turned his head to met the Kyubi's stare, the fox lost no time as he tackled the ninja, pushing both of them off the branch and fall out of the tree.  
  
---- Ground Level ----  
  
The sound of two bodies colliding was heard, as Kabuto noticed two distinct figures fell down the tree, as they parted at the last minute, to each land on opposite sides.  
  
"Now I can keep an eye on you as well." Kyubi stated as he charged towards Kimimaro.  
  
Kyubi charged forward , kunai in hand, his chakra still surrounding his body, while Kimimaro extended his free arm, and pulled out another sword made of his bone, as he awaited for the attack.  
  
"Persistent little rat." Kimimaro cursed, as he waited for his opponent to land the first blow.  
  
Kyubi was now only a meter away from his prey, as Kimimaro took the initiative to swing his sword and slash the demon, when this one grinned before he quickly vanished.  
  
"Nani?" The shinobi let out as he immediately turned around as he expected to be attacked from behind.  
  
"Where is he?" Kabuto asked himself as he walked towards his comrade.  
  
Kabuto's eyes widened when he felt a slight change in the wind behind him. Kyubi had no plans to attack Kimimaro first, but his aim was for the medic- nin, as he reappeared behind Kabuto.  
  
"Behind you!" Kimimaro yelled out as his eyes widened.  
  
"Fox, not rat." Kyubi corrected as he kicked Kabuto in the back.  
  
Kabuto tumbled forwards as he quickly regained his balance and kneeled on the ground. He quickly turned from where the attack came from, as he reached into the small pouch, attached to his back.  
  
Kyuby charged once more as he prepared to punch the medic-nin, when this one pulled out a kunai from his pouch. Kyubi opened his fist at the last minute, as the kunai stabbed him in the palm.  
  
"Doesn't this remind you of something?" Kyubi let out as he gripped tightly the hand that held the kunai.  
  
Kyubi held tightly, with his wounded hand, the hand of Kabuto, while his free hand spread his fingers apart, while they were slightly closed, as red chakra began to swirl in the middle of his palm.  
  
"This is ..." Kabuto now realized this was the same technique that almost needed his life when he battled Naruto.  
  
Kyubi thrust his hand forward as it dug deep within Kabuto's stomach. Kyubi released his hold on Kabuto's hand, as this one's body was sent tumbling back, until he crashed into a tree.  
  
"This time, I'm not letting you time to recover ..." Kyubi told himself as he charged forward once again.  
  
Kyubi moved fast, as Kabuto only began to stand up on his feet, but had yet lifted his head to notice the fox was already on the move. Kyubi reached within the pouch behind him as well as in the holster on his right leg, as he then pulled out multiple shurikens and kunais.  
  
"Even if you can regenerate yourself, it will take time before you stand up after this attack." Kyubi stated as he threw them towards the half standing medic-nin.  
  
Kabuto lifted his head just in time to see the attack coming, but due to the damage of the Rasengan, his stomach was still recovering, as the blood slowly disappeared.  
  
At the last moment, the shurikens and kunais were deflected, as Kimimaro stood between Kabuto and the still charging Kyubi. Kyubi cursed at the sight of someone interfering, as he jumped backwards to still keep a safe distance between himself and the bone user.  
  
"Have you forgotten about me?" Kimimaro let out as Kabuto stood up and walked next to his comrade.  
  
"Chikushou ..." Kyubi let out as he glared at them.  
  
Kyubi then gathered once more chakra within the middle of his hand, as he was prepared to finish this with the next move, until his nose picked up a new scent.  
  
"Baka kitsune." Kimimaro let out with a smile.  
  
Kyubi had yet understood why he teased him, until he figured out the scent came form behind him, and not form the Kimimaro who stood a few meters ahead of him.  
  
"Bunshin!?" Kyubi let out as he prepared to turn around but was too late.  
  
The true Kimimaro stood behind the kitsune, as bones the bones from his rib cage pierced his own skin as the shinobi wrapped an arm tightly around the kitsune's neck to pull him in.  
  
Kyubi struggled but failed, as his back collided with the shinobi's bare chest, as this one's bones, each stretched out to grab Kyubi and hold him against Kimimaro's chest.  
  
"What the ..." Kyubi let out as he noticed the bones slightly curved from each side of his stomach, and slowly pierced his own skin.  
  
Kyubi growled as the tips of the bones entered his stomach, but then came to a stop, as they simply held him there. But if he came to struggle, the bones would dug deeper and inflict more damages. Kyubi then felt several stabs within the back of his shoulder, as three new bones pierced his other shoulder.  
  
Kimimaro had used his wrist where he originally summoned the few bones, as he wanted to keep the blond in place, thus stabbing him through the shoulder helped, as this one struggled more, but with each struggle, the bones that held him down, simply stabbed him deeper in the stomach.  
  
"Did you know that to trick a fox, simply use the same tricks that he does." Kabuto let out as the clone of the other shinobi followed the medic- nin.  
  
"Chikushou ..." Kyubi cursed as a pool of blood started to gather at his feet.  
  
Kabuto pulled out a kunai, as he then stabbed the Kimimaro who stood beside him. It was indeed a Bunshin since this one disappeared in smoke, while Kabuto now stood only a meter away from the kitsune.  
  
"Just so you know before you die brat... My blood inheritance limit controls both the bone forming and destroying cells. As well as the density of calcium, to manipulate the formation of bones." Kimimaro explained.  
  
"And you should know Kyubi, humans have around 200 bones in their body ... but Kimimaro can change that number." Kabuto completed the lesson.  
  
Kyubi tried to punch Kimimaro with his free hand, but the shinobi simply concentrated as more bones shot out of his shoulder and kept the fist entangled between the bones.  
  
"You should have stayed out of Orochimaru-sama's way ... Naruto kun ... Kyubi- san ..." Kabuto let out as he rearranged the height of his glasses and gave out an evil smile.  
  
Kabuto brought his hands together as he begun to make several hand seals. For the first time, Kyubi was powerless. The fact he had many bones pierced within his body, as both his hands were unmovable, even with his amount of chakra, he couldn't heal the wounds if something was still lodged in them.  
  
Kabuto finally completed his hand seals, as he thrust his hands at two separate places. One one the original seal that kept the Kyubi prisoner of the blonde's body, with the other wrapped itself around Kyubi's neck.  
  
"Gyaku no Jutsu!" Kabuto yelled out, as Kyubi's eyes, as well as Kimimaro's widened upon the impact, as both took a few steps back.  
  
Two small signs appeared at both places, while Kyubi's head leaned forward as he coughed up a great amount of blood.  
  
Kimimaro regained his balance as he glared at the medic-nin that fell to his knees due to his low amount of chakra.  
  
"Now I'm angry ..." Kyubi murmured as he lifted his head to directly look into Kabuto's eyes.  
  
Kyubi's eyes showed the immense rage, as the kitsune was suddenly engulf in a large ball of red chakra. His eyes glowed of a deadly red, while Kabuto covered his face with one of his arms, while the other supported the weight of his body.  
  
Kyubi's rage could be felt throughout Konoha's forest, as he forced Kimimaro to release him. The power of the red chakra had pushed back Kimimaro's body, as the bones ripped out of the fox's skin, as the shinobi landed with precaution on the ground.  
  
All eyes were turned to the great sphere that surrounded the boy, as strong winds and dirt swirled around it. In the middle of it all, a soaked blond shinobi stood there, with one thing in mind, to kill.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Near the Battlefield*  
  
Kakashi, Gai and the two Anbu came to a sudden stop as they felt the great power of the nine tails near them.  
  
"That's Kyubi's chakra...." One of the Anbu let out while fear could be heard in his voice.  
  
"Has the seal broken?" The other Anbu asked with worry.  
  
"The fourth's seal is powerful enough to hold Kyubi within Naruto-kun's body." Gai replied as he looked over to his life time rival.  
  
"He must be very emotional right now. Only at times like that that Kyubi's chakra can leak out..." Kakashi informed them.  
  
"We know his position now." Gai stated as he leaped from tree to tree to where the chakra could be felt.  
  
The rest soon followed as they all hope it wasn't too late.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Battlefield*  
  
Kabuto's head turned slightly to another direction, while Kimimaro seemed to be debating to what to do now since the kitsune seemed more dangerous then ever, until his gaze fell upon his comrade.  
  
"I'm running low on chakra ..." Kimimaro thought as he vanished to reappear besides Kabuto.  
  
"We're about to get company..." Kabuto stated, as he had trouble to stand up.  
  
"Then we should at least finish the brat off ...." Kimimaro started but Kabuto quickly interrupted him.  
  
"No need to ... The Gyaku no Jutsu will finish him off for us. Either way, he will die ..." Kabuto stated as he stared at the fox.  
  
The fox's chakra started to vanish, as Kyubi raised his hand and carefully examine it. The wound that had healed itself moments ago, started to reappear as blood poured slowly out of it.  
  
"Nani?" Kyubi asked as the pain increased over his entire body.  
  
"What did you ...?" Kimimaro wanted to ask.  
  
"It's a forbidden Jutsu for us, medic-nin to use or even speak of. It requires a lot of our chakra to execute it, but once the jutsu executed, the opponent is sure to die." Kabuto explained, as Kimimaro placed a hand around the medic-nin's waist as he grabbed onto him tightly and raised to his feet.  
  
"But Kyubi's chakra always heals him..." Kimimaro reminded the grey haired shinobi.  
  
"It seals chakra, thus Kyubi's chakra will be sealed from healing the boy as well..." Kabuto finished his explanation.  
  
"Then we should return to Orochimaru-sama..." Kimimaro let out as he prepared to jump into a tree.  
  
"Hai ..." Kabuto replied as they vanished from the battlefield.  
  
Kyubi looked in their direction but knew there was nothing he could possibly do to stop them, as he was also aware of a small group of 4 shinobis were going to reach him within a few minutes.  
  
What worried him mostly, was the fact he had trouble to maintain his chakra to the surface, as he felt his soul being pulled back into the cage where the original seal still laid.  
  
"It seems that I was too careless this time ..." Kyubi mumbled, as the clothes he wore, began to take the same colour as blood.  
  
---- Somewhere On The battlefield ----  
  
Kakashi, Gai and the two Anbu finally arrived at the scene where Kyubi's sudden burst of chakra had been felt. They scanned the area carefully with their eyes, as they found many blood stains on the ground, as well as a body not far form their own position.  
  
"Looks like there was a war here ..." Gai let out when someone tapped his shoulder.  
  
Gai and Kakashi turned around, as the Anbu pointed to a direction. Among the blood stains to the ground and trees, a single and small figure stood in the middle of the battlefield. His back turned to them, while his clothes were no longer orange but a deep red, as well as his hair.  
  
"Naruto ..." Kakashi let out, as the group stepped forward but still kept their guard up in case the enemy was still around.  
  
Within seconds, the 4 shinobis now only stood a few meters away from the blond boy, when they all froze in place, eyes widened.  
  
"Kyubi ..." Gai let out as red eyes glared at him and the others that accompanied him.  
  
Upon hearing the boy's true name, Kyubi turned his head to put faces on the voices he heard, as he noticed that they were in complete shock.  
  
"The seal has not broken ..." Kyubi mumbled as he raised his arm in front of his chest, while he placed his free hand on the sleeve of that arm.  
  
"Be on guard." The Anbu spoke out, as he reached in his holster to grab a kunai.  
  
"Wait!" Kakashi ordered them as he blocked their way with his arm, but kept his eyes on Kyubi.  
  
"Why isn't he attacking?" Gai asked a bit worried and surprised that the great demon fox hadn't dealt with them yet.  
  
"Something isn't right ..." Kakashi let out, as he slipped of his headband over his single Sharingan eye and stared at the fox.  
  
Kyubi remained silent, but his deadly glare gave them all cold shivers, as they noticed how he grabbed the fabric of the sleeve and pulled it back up to his elbow, to reveal what was underneath.  
  
The skin seemed undamaged, until blood started to surface, and slowly the many cuts revealed themselves. These were all given from his first opponent, Sakon, when he battled him alone. Kyubi let out an evil smile, as his began to breath heavily, while more droplets of blood fell to the ground.  
  
"I never thought I would die with the brat ..." Kyubi trailed off as he felt death was coming to him and Naruto.  
  
"Kakashi ... His eyes ..." Gai pointed to the Kyubi's eyes as they seemed to constantly change between the deep blue of Naruto, and the crimson red eyes of the Kyubi.  
  
Kyubi coughed, as he placed his wounded hand before his mouth by pure instinct, to only remove it later to find more blood on his hand. A trail of blood rolled down form the corner of his mouth and dripped past his chin.  
  
"Chikushou ..." Kyubi let out before his eyes rolled as his body fell to the ground.  
  
The moment Naruto's body began to fall, Kakashi quickly moved to his student's side, as he grabbed him by the waist. Kakashi slowly kneeled to the ground, as he carefully laid the boy on the ground in a sitting position. Gai and the two Anbu members gathered around them, while the boy's head rested against Kakashi's shoulder.  
  
"Naruto?" Kakashi spoke out his student's name with worry, as he brushed his tainted red locks of hair from his eyes.  
  
Naruto slowly opened his eyes to reveal they were a light blue, as Kakashi was very much relieved to see Kyubi no longer had control over the boy's body. Gai kneeled next to his long time rival, as he looked at the boy as well, to notice the flow of blood seemed to increase with time.  
  
"Sasuke ..." Naruto spoke out his rival's name softly as he coughed up some more blood, and showed he was in pain.  
  
"We met Shikamaru's team, he's back in Konoha ... You brought him back ... Naruto ..." Kakashi congratulated his student with a sad smile.  
  
"Kakashi!" Gai raised his voice as he pointed to the boy's chest.  
  
Kakashi leaned forward, as his eyes widened from what he saw. Blood started to gather on his chest, as no apparent wound could be found at first, but now, blood leaked out, as Gai quickly placed a hand over the wound in hopes to buy them some time.  
  
"I ... I ..." Naruto let out as both Jounin's heads stared at the dying boy with surprise.  
  
"Naruto, don't close your eyes!" Kakashi ordered the boy as he shook him a little to keep him awake.  
  
"I kept my promise Sakura-chan ... I brought Sasuke back..." Naruto whispered his last words, as his eyes slowly closed and darkness consumed him.  
  
TBC?  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Well I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, but I think it came out nicely, although some going to scold me for what I did to our poor Naruto ne? But I must say the next chapter will be a crucial one, so be sure to review!  
  
By the way this chapter had like 5700 words in it, plus I worked my ass off here to write it, even wrote the last part while I'm at evening school, so you guys better appreciate it ok?  
  
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REVIEWS  
  
Insanechilfanfic : thanks for reviewing every chapter I update from any story I write.  
  
Ookami Kage : I'm still waiting on you to update lol. But when you do I'll make sure to review it! As for the updates, I'm glad the numbers are up again, but I'm still debating of what pairings to make it, if I do pairings that is.  
  
Nikkler : Unfortunately, as you see Kabuto won't die ... yet. But further in the story I have some evil plans that might go into action if people like my story. Can't wait for you to update your story too!  
  
RedMirage07 : Well I hope the fight was up to your standards because one thing I noticed when writing, is it's really hard to describe them properly for the readers to understand and all. So let me know?  
  
Litch Sieger : Well the reason I waited for the next chapter to include those attacks where because the manga offers me the information I need on Kimimaro, so that's why the story was on hold for a while since I wanted it to be accurate and not all invented you know?  
  
Arbil : Well I hope this chapter helped out to know a bit more about Kabuto.  
  
Peter Kim : You're always the best one to deduct many of the events that are going to happen or give me ideas to make them happen. I like that a lot and highly appreciate the help.  
  
Kitinu : I update as I can although these last two weeks I had like exams and been called to work more, so some updates might take up to two weeks, but I try my best so that doesn't happen!  
  
PuiChi2 : I'm starting to se your name everywhere! But I'm happy to have some new faces that like my stories. About that mistake I did correct it! Thanks for letting me know, it's just that the name Kimimaro sounds more like a female name so in my thoughts and when writing I re read everything to make sure I didn't write a she or her along the way.  
  
Gopu : thanks for taking time to review, and hope to hear from you next chapter too.  
  
Shadow eclipse : Well here's the next chapter although I'm sure people didn't expect me to use such a forbidden jutsu in the first place, but it's my story ne?  
  
Red Rose : I'll keep going as long as people review!  
  
Silvermist 91 : Thanks for Reviewing Ja ne!  
  
Gisela : Thanks for the compliment!  
  
Peter Kim 2 : I have such an idea, but I suppose you'll be surprised to how I wrote the ending of this chapter.  
  
Inuchan143 : I hope the battle between Kyubi and Kabuto was good engouh because I myself don't know much of his specialties, but I did have to bring the fight to an end. Let me know how you find it ne?  
  
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Next Chapter :  
  
No previews this time! Or else I'd spoil all the fun!  
  
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Thanks for all those that reviewed!  
  
Read and REVIEW!  
  
Until next time!  
  
Ookima  
  
PS : Check other stories and review them too ;) 


	6. Critical

Twist of Fate  
  
Chapter 6 : Critical  
  
Synopsis : Sakura and Lee join in with their comrades, as Kakashi and Gai rush in with Naruto that hangs between life and death.  
  
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Pairings : Unknown for now. Suggestions are welcomed  
  
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Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did  
  
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Timeline :  
  
- This takes place when Shikamaru, and the team he created went after the 4 Ninjas that took Sasuke with them. In other words it's right after Neji finished his battle with his opponent in Manga Volume 22 Chapter 198.  
  
- Sasuke was NOT put in the wooden barrel to begin with  
  
- Sakon is one of the four ninjas under Orochimaru's command. He's the ninja that seems to have two bodies of some sort ( Chapter 200 )  
  
- Kimimaro was sent by Kabuto ( Orochimaru's right hand ) since the four ninjas were taking too long to come back to Orochimaru.  
  
- To me, all underlings of Orochimaru are male, so sorry if they were any females that I wasn't able to spot.  
  
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JUTSU LIST :  
  
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JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Urousai = Shut Up -  
  
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn  
  
All notes concerning future reviews will be replied at the bottom of the story.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Battlefield*  
  
Kakashi, Gai and the two Anbu finally arrived at the scene where Kyubi's sudden burst of chakra had been felt. They scanned the area carefully with their eyes, as they found many blood stains on the ground, as well as a body not far form their own position.  
  
"Looks like there was a war here ..." Gai let out when someone tapped his shoulder.  
  
Gai and Kakashi turned around, as the Anbu pointed to a direction. Among the blood stains to the ground and trees, a single and small figure stood in the middle of the battlefield. His back turned to them, while his clothes were no longer orange but a deep red, as well as his hair.  
  
"Naruto ..." Kakashi let out, as the group stepped forward but still kept their guard up in case the enemy was still around.  
  
Within seconds, the 4 shinobis now only stood a few meters away from the blond boy, when they all froze in place, eyes widened.  
  
"Kyubi ..." Gai let out as red eyes glared at him and the others that accompanied him.  
  
Upon hearing the boy's true name, Kyubi turned his head to put faces on the voices he heard, as he noticed that they were in complete shock.  
  
"The seal has not broken ..." Kyubi mumbled as he raised his arm in front of his chest, while he placed his free hand on the sleeve of that arm.  
  
"Be on guard." The Anbu spoke out, as he reached in his holster to grab a kunai.  
  
"Wait!" Kakashi ordered them as he blocked their way with his arm, but kept his eyes on Kyubi.  
  
"Why isn't he attacking?" Gai asked a bit worried and surprised that the great demon fox hadn't dealt with them yet.  
  
"Something isn't right ..." Kakashi let out, as he slipped of his headband over his single Sharingan eye and stared at the fox.  
  
Kyubi remained silent, but his deadly glare gave them all cold shivers, as they noticed how he grabbed the fabric of the sleeve and pulled it back up to his elbow, to reveal what was underneath.  
  
The skin seemed undamaged, until blood started to surface, and slowly the many cuts revealed themselves. These were all given from his first opponent, Sakon, when he battled him alone. Kyubi let out an evil smile, as he began to breath heavily, while more droplets of blood fell to the ground.  
  
"I never thought I would die with the brat ..." Kyubi trailed off as he felt death was coming to him and Naruto.  
  
"Kakashi ... His eyes ..." Gai pointed to the Kyubi's eyes as they seemed to constantly change between the deep blue of Naruto, and the crimson red eyes of the Kyubi.  
  
Kyubi coughed, as he placed his wounded hand before his mouth by pure instinct, to only remove it later to find more blood on his hand. A trail of blood rolled down form the corner of his mouth and dripped past his chin.  
  
"Chikushou ..." Kyubi let out before his eyes rolled as his body fell to the ground.  
  
The moment Naruto's body began to fall, Kakashi quickly moved to his student's side, as he grabbed him by the waist. Kakashi slowly kneeled to the ground, as he carefully laid the boy on the ground in a sitting position. Gai and the two Anbu members gathered around them, while the boy's head rested against Kakashi's shoulder.  
  
"Naruto?" Kakashi spoke out his student's name with worry, as he brushed his tainted red locks of hair from his eyes.  
  
Naruto slowly opened his eyes to reveal they were a light blue, as Kakashi was very much relieved to see Kyubi no longer had control over the boy's body. Gai kneeled next to his long time rival, as he looked at the boy as well, to notice the flow of blood seemed to increase with time.  
  
"Sasuke ..." Naruto spoke out his rival's name softly as he coughed up some more blood, and showed he was in pain.  
  
"We met Shikamaru's team, he's back in Konoha ... You brought him back ... Naruto ..." Kakashi congratulated his student with a sad smile.  
  
"Kakashi!" Gai raised his voice as he pointed to the boy's chest.  
  
Kakashi leaned forward, as his eyes widened from what he saw. Blood started to gather on his chest, as no apparent wound could be found at first, but now, blood leaked out, as Gai quickly placed a hand over the wound in hopes to buy them some time.  
  
"I ... I ..." Naruto let out as both Jounin's heads stared at the dying boy with surprise.  
  
"Naruto, don't close your eyes!" Kakashi ordered the boy as he shook him a little to keep him awake.  
  
"I kept my promise Sakura-chan ... I brought Sasuke back..." Naruto whispered his last words, as his eyes slowly closed and darkness consumed him.  
  
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Kakashi shook his student gently, in hopes to reawaken him, but with no success. Gai on the other hand, had his hands full to stop the bleeding from several places over the small boy's body.  
  
"We have to get him to the hospital now." Gai spoke out with worry, as he still had his hand pressed against the boy's chest.  
  
Kakashi nodded, as he slowly and carefully lifted Naruto's wounded body into his arms, while Gai gave out specific instruction to the Anbu. Kakashi now stood with his wounded student in his arms, as Gai lost no time to join his eternal rival's side, as the Anbu stood in their original position.  
  
"We'll scout the area to find the intruders." One of the Anbu spoke out.  
  
"We'll be sure to send all available Anbu teams here once we're back in the Village." Gai informed them, as he began to make many hand signs and channeled his chakra.  
  
Within seconds, both Jounins were surrounded in a large and thick cloud of smoke. Once the smoke dissipated, Gai, Kakashi and Naruto were no longer on the battle ground, as the Anbu vanished as well, to look for the intruders.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Hospital*  
  
---- Room 201 ----  
  
Sakura and Lee rushed inside the room as they noticed all the sad and worried expressions all of them had.  
  
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted with joy as she rushed over to his bedside.  
  
"This is going to get more troublesome ..." Shikamaru commented, as Asuma couldn't help but laugh a little by his comment.  
  
"I'm glad to see you're all safe and sound." Lee stated as he walked inside the room.  
  
"Not all of us ..." Kiba commented, while Akamaru whined.  
  
"Sasuke-kun ... Those curse marks ..." Sakura started, as Sasuke simply stirred aside to evade the pink haired girl's touch and gaze.  
  
"I think it would be best if you came over here young lady." Tsunade pointed next to her.  
  
"S...Sure..." Sakura let out, a bit disappointed that Sasuke rejected her once more, even after she revealed her feelings to him.  
  
"Kurenai-sensei?" Lee spoke her name.  
  
"Yes?" Kurenai replied.  
  
"Where's Naruto-kun and Neji?" Lee asked, which earned him the worried eyes of everyone present in the room, except for Sakura, that had yet noticed herself.  
  
"As blind as ever to even notice your own teammate?" Neji commented from the corner of the room.  
  
"Neji!" Lee shouted as he rushed over to his teammate's side.  
  
"If Neji's there, then where's Naruto?" Sakura asked as she looked around in the room, no sign of her comrade.  
  
"He's still out there ..." Kiba answered with a growl.  
  
"Out there?" Lee repeated, confused, just like his crush, Sakura.  
  
"Ask Shikamaru ... He knows more than anyone else ..." Neji mentioned as he looked away from his green teammate.  
  
"What's going on?" Sakura asked with worry towards the lazy shinobi.  
  
"It's too troublesome to repeat myself ..." Shikamaru stated, but deep inside of him, he didn't want to admit he might of placed his friend in danger.  
  
"All of you calm down and rest. I sent Kakashi and Gai, along with a few Anbus out there to retrieve Naruto. They will find him. We just need to be patient." Tsunade stated as she was well aware that if they all got too emotional, it wouldn't help the current situation or the one to come.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Somewhere ...*  
  
Orochimaru sat down on a chair, in the darkest corner of the room, as he waited for his servants to return with his prize.  
  
"Once I get Sasuke-kun's body, I'll be able to get rid of Itachi for underestimating me as well to eliminate Konoha Village once and for all." Orochimaru told himself, when he felt two distinct chakra coming his way.  
  
Orochimaru had regained part of his strength, as he stood up and made his way towards the door, and came face to face with Kabuto and Kimimaro. Kimimaro was the one that supported Kabuto's weight, as they entered the room, but easily felt the stares of their master.  
  
"I see that Naruto-kun was there ..." Orochimaru stated as Kimimaro helped Kabuto so this one could sit on the nearest table.  
  
"Hai ... Unfortunately, I have some bad news Orochimaru-sama ..." Kabuto stated, as he had a hand pressed against his stomach.  
  
The snake's smiled quickly faded as he felt no more chakra near their camp site, as Kimimaro evaded any eye contact with the master.  
  
"Where are the others?" Orochimaru asked with a serious face expression.  
  
"The others are most likely dead ..." Kimimaro answered since Kabuto hadn't been informed of the others.  
  
"Nani!?" Orochimaru let out in anger.  
  
"Konoha sent a bunch of genins after us, and we underestimated them ... Especially the impact the Kyubi brat had on Sasuke-kun ..." Kimimaro answered as he knew he would be punished for failing his mission to retrieve Sasuke.  
  
"I should have killed that damn kid when I had the chance ..." Orochimaru cursed as he turned his back to his underlings.  
  
"We might have failed to retrieve Sasuke-kun for now ... But, I have news you that will most likely make you feel better ..." Kabuto stated, as he finished healing his wounds and stood up.  
  
"And?" Orochimaru waited for the good news.  
  
"Uzumaki will no longer be a nuisance for you ..." Kabuto stated as he replaced his glasses and smiled.  
  
Upon hearing the news, Orochimaru turned back to face his right hand man, as Kimimaro made sure to stay at a safe distance.  
  
"You were able to perform the jutsu?" Orochimaru asked to be sure.  
  
"Hai. Although they failed to bring Sasuke-kun this time, they managed to inflict great damage on Naruto-kun's body. Of course the Kyubi healed it every time, but with my jutsu now on him, not even Tsunade-sama can heal him." Kabuto stated with another smile.  
  
"Good. With that brat gone, things will be more easier for next time." Orochimaru stated.  
  
"Orochimaru-sama, I accept any punishment you have instored for me, for failing to bring you Sasuke-kun." Kimimaro stated as he kneeled before his master, and lowered his head.  
  
"Stand up. I have already lost 3 of my best shinobis. And when the time comes, I'll have a need for you, and perhaps you can redeem yourself for your mistake. Until I give you word, guard the grounds." Orochimaru ordered his last shinobi.  
  
Kimimaro bowed before his master, before he stood up on his feet, and left the room, so that his master and Kabuto could have time alone to speak of what to do next.  
  
"For Sasuke-kun, it does anger me that they failed, but I'm low on chakra to even perform the correct seals to obtain the young Uchiha's body. But when the time comes, this time, I will obtain what I desire, and this time, you will not fail." Orochimaru informed his right hand man.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Kabuto asked.  
  
"I want to know everything that happened." Orochimaru asked.  
  
"Very well." Kabuto said as he began to explain how things went down.  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
*Konoha Hospital*  
  
---- Room 201 ----  
  
Minutes passed, as most shinobis remained silent, lost in their own thoughts and confusion over the latest events in their Village, while Neji, Kiba, and Shikamaru each explained how things went down since the beginning of their mission.  
  
"I was depleted of chakra, Kiba and Akamaru were too bruised and wounded, while Sasuke had his curse activated. Naruto took the obvious choice left to us. He stayed behind, to buy us enough time to reach the Village." Shikamaru continued as Kiba growled while he sat up on his bed, with Akamaru in his arms.  
  
"That idiot had no doubts. But the things he said were strange ..." Kiba commented, as he looked over to Sasuke and Shikamaru.  
  
"What kind of things?" Tsunade asked the question that was also on Asuma's and Kurenai,s mind.  
  
"Before the last part of the Chuunin exam, me and Naruto went to visit Lee. But when we got there, we found Gaara that actually tried to kill Lee for no reason we understood. After some weird talk, Gaara called himself a monster since he was merged at birth with that Shukaku thing. And then Naruto mentioned he wasn't the only one with a monster inside of him..." Shikamaru trailed off as Kiba took the responsibility to say the rest.  
  
"Before we left, he reminded Shikamaru of that event, that he alos had a monster inside of him. The weirdest thing is when that creepy ninja threw a kunai in Shikamaru' direction..." Kiba trailed off as the three adults stared at him.  
  
"That idiot ..." Sasuke spoke out as he raised his weaken body in a sitting position.  
  
"The kunai pierced his hand, but when he removed it, it healed quickly. And then he was talking to himself, before this strange red chakra appeared." Kiba finished as he looked over to Shikamaru.  
  
"Red chakra!?" Kurenai let out in surprise, while Asuma and Tsunade exchanged worried looks.  
  
"The Kyubi's chakra ..." Tsunade thought.  
  
"But Naruto couldn't possibly defeat him ..." Sakura commented as her closed hand was near her heart.  
  
"There was no other way ..." Neji stated which earned him the glare of the pink haired girl.  
  
"There must have been! Why didn't you even help him!" Sakura yelled out in anger.  
  
"It was his decision... He analyzed the situation, and the only way for us the team to survive, was if he stayed behind ..." Shikamaru stated with sadness.  
  
Sakura was about to yell at the poor boy again when a nurse ran inside the room and gripped the doorframe. She seemed horrified and scared as she panted hard from most likely running through the halls.  
  
"Tsunade-sama!" The nurse yelled out.  
  
"Yes?" Tsunade spoke out as she turned to face the nurse.  
  
"They found him! Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei just brought him in! We need your help and expertise now!" The nurse yelled out, which earned her the attention of everyone in the room.  
  
"Naruto?" Sasuke let out.  
  
"Hai!" The nurse replied.  
  
"How bad?" Tsunade demanded to know right away.  
  
The nurse looked down at the floor before even answering due to all the other present in the room.  
  
"I ..." The nurse mumbled, as she couldn't find the words to describe the situation.  
  
"Where is he?" Tsunade asked, seeing that what she feared might have happened.  
  
"He's in Room 101 ..." The nurse informed her.  
  
Immediately, Tsunade rushed out of the room, as the nurse followed her. The rest of the genins and Jounins exchanged worried looks, as Neji and the others began to move to get out of their beds, while Lee and Sakura tried desperately to keep them from doing that.  
  
"You mustn't!" Sakura shouted as her hand were gripped on Sasuke's arm.  
  
"Let go!" Sasuke ordered the pink haired girl, as this one saw the anger and guilt the Uchiha boy felt, and retreated to give space to the boy.  
  
"Lee ..." Neji spoke out his name.  
  
"Neji you really shouldn't with that wound ..." Lee spoke out with worry.  
  
"I'll be fine, I just need to be there ..." Neji mentioned as Lee caught a small glimpse of worry in Neji's eyes.  
  
"OK." Lee replied, much to everyone's surprise as he slung one arm around Neji's waist and supported Neji.  
  
"Lee-san! You could get ..." Sakura spoke out with worry, as him and Neji walked towards the door.  
  
"Sakura-san. I barely need those crutches anymore, besides, Tsunade-sama told me to simply take it easy on training. She never mentioned about supporting a teammate." Lee stated as he continued and walked out of the room.  
  
"Lee-san ..." Sakura was surprised by the boy's strength and friendship, as she turned towards Sasuke and decided to do the same.  
  
"Sakura... What are you ..." Sasuke mumbled when he noticed how Sakura had flopped his arm behind her neck, and her own arm was around the dark haired boy's waist.  
  
"I want to be there for Naruto too. And you'll be no good to him if you injure yourself again." Sakura stated as Sasuke was surprised by the girl's determination.  
  
"Come on Kiba. I think we better get going too." Shikamaru held out a hand to help Kiba out of bed.  
  
"Thanks ..." Kiba mumbled, as Shikamaru helped him out, while Kiba made sure to not drop his companion.  
  
The rest of the genins exited the room, while Asuma and Kurenai looked at each other and smiled slightly.  
  
"This mission brought them closer ..." Kurenai commented.  
  
"Hai ..." Asuma replied before both of them exited the room as well, and headed for were the rest would end up.  
  
---- Outside Room 101 ----  
  
Kakashi and Gai stood outside the room, next to the transparent glass that showed everything that was happening within it, including Naruto's wounded and unconscious body.  
  
"Kakashi! Gai!" Tsunade shouted, as she caught a glimpse of what was inside the room.  
  
Kakashi and Gai couldn't help but look down to the floor, as they knew Tsunade really liked the boy. For a few seconds, the Hokage froze, but then the nurse snapped her out of it.  
  
"We have to hurry or we might lose him ..." The nurse murmured as she grabbed Tsunade's hand and guided her within the room.  
  
"Get me Shizune and find Jiraiya!" Tsunade ordered to a nearby nurse who ran down the hall to transmit the message to a superior.  
  
Moments later, Tsunade was inside the room, while Kakashi and Gai leaned against the wall, with sad and worried expressions. Their clothes soaked with Naruto's blood, as they both looked down on their hands, covered with their student's red and warm blood.  
  
"Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled out, a few meters away, as he supported Neji's body the best he could.  
  
"Lee! Neji!" Gai replied with a small smile of seeing both his students safe and sound.  
  
"Where's Naruto-kun?" Lee asked as Gai's small smile quickly faded upon hearing the other boy's name.  
  
"Lee ..." Neji elbowed Lee as his eyes were focused on the transparent glass, where you could easily see the many nurses around a bloodied body, while Tsunade gave out orders.  
  
"Oh my ..." Lee said as their eyes widened by the sight.  
  
Moments later, Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kiba, along with the two Jounins appeared followed from behind their students. All looked over to Neji and Lee and wondered why they hadn't spoken, until their eyes met the sight as well. Sakura gasped in horror, as she placed a hand over her mouth, while the boys eyes widened in shock.  
  
"Kakashi! What ..." Sasuke wanted to ask, but then his gaze fell upon his sensei's bloodied vest and hands.  
  
"Tsunade's in there trying to keep him alive ..." Kakashi mentioned as he turned his head to only seethe nurses surrounding a bloodied body.  
  
"How did it happened?" Kurenai asked, her eyes wide open as well, while Asuma swallowed hard.  
  
"We don't know ... When we arrived, he was in the middle of a blood pool, as well as one of the shinobi that tried to take Sasuke's dead. I assume the other escaped ... But ..." Kakashi trailed off as Gai decided to step in.  
  
"We think Kabuto was also present." Gai explained.  
  
"Kabuto?" Kurenai repeated the name.  
  
"Where's Shizune!?" Tsunade yelled out form within the room, which caught everyone's attention.  
  
---- Inside Room 101 ----  
  
4 nurses were present in the room, as well as 2 doctors and Tsunade herself. 2 nurses remained by the boy's side, while the doctors were busy inserting needles in the boy's arms, while the other two nurses had scissors in their hands and cut through the thick fabric in order to expose the wounds.  
  
"Don't you die on me Naruto." Tsunade hissed, as the nurses finally discarded the orange jacket on the ground that was already tainted by the boy's blood.  
  
"How can he be still alive after all that blood loss!?" A nurse shouted in surprise by the fact Naruto was still alive.  
  
"Don't talk like that! Make sure to keep him alive! And clean the blood off him so we can see exactly from where the bleeding comes from!" Tsunade ordered them with anger, as she was cleaning the boy's face from the blood that tainted his tanned skin.  
  
The nurses lowered their heads in shame as they quickly walked away form the bed to grab some white towels, while one of the doctor's brought the distinct machines at the head of the bed. He carefully placed the oxygen mask over the boy's mouth and nose and flipped the switch one, while the other doctor, placed a few patched over the boy's chest to monitor his heartbeats.  
  
Where the patched were placed, the nurses had quickly wiped off the blood so these would remain on the skin and not slid off and also give false signals. Once the blood was wiped off, they noticed the main wounds were inflicted in his shoulder, near his heart, and in his stomach. Other wounds did appear as deep cuts, as though the boy had received kunais all over his body.  
  
Tsunade immediately placed her hands over the wound on Naruto's shoulder, since that one seemed the most threatening. She gathered her chakra, but despite her efforts, nothing seemed to change, while the nurses simply stared, while the doctor monitored the boy's breathing and heartbeats.  
  
---- Outside Room 101 ----  
  
Kakashi had to remain strong, just like the other Jounins, but this was a sight which a sensei never wanted to see, one of his own students, hanging by a thread, between life and death.  
  
Kurenai couldn't help but look away momentarily, as Gai placed a hand on Neji and Lee's shoulder to show that they weren't alone to worry about Naruto. While Kiba and Shikamaru exchanged worried looks before setting their attention back inside the room. Sakura couldn't hold her tears back, while Sasuke knew he should comfort his teammate.  
  
"What the hell happened out there?" Sasuke asked himself, as he continued to watch his comrade within the room.  
  
"Where is he!?" A female voice yelled at a nurse.  
  
"You can't yell in a hospital ... And I need the name of the patient you wish to see ..." The nurse mumbled in fear.  
  
"That brat is my only student. So tell us where he is." A man yelled out in anger.  
  
"Naruto. His name's Uzumaki Naruto." The female spoke out the name of the patient they wanted to see.  
  
"Oh my ... The poor boy is in Room 101." The nurse replied to the other female.  
  
All heads turned to see from where the disturbance came from to see that Tsunade's best friend had finally arrived, along with Naruto's sensei, the legendary sennin, Jiraiya.  
  
"What's his condition?" Jiraiya asked the Jounin.  
  
"Judge by yourself ..." Kakashi replied as he pointed to the transparent window that gave view within Naruto's room.  
  
Jiraiya looked inside as his eyes widened. Indeed it was not a nice sight to see, but he was somewhat glad that so many had gathered to watch over Naruto's condition despite the horrifying sight of it.  
  
"I'm going in there with you." Jiraiya stated as he grabbed Shizune by the arm.  
  
"Jiraiya-sama you can't Tsunade wouldn't approve ..." Shizune protested until they heard Tsunade's voice.  
  
"Both of you. In here. NOW!" Tsunade yelled out to her friend and former teammate.  
  
Within seconds, Jiraiya and Shizune came within the room, as the others could only continue to observe and wait for the results.  
  
---- Inside Room 101 ----  
  
Shizune followed Tsunade's instruction, while Jiraiya made his own way to his student's side, while the nurses continued to wipe off the continuous blood flow on the blonde's body.  
  
"Why does it keep flowing?" Shizune asked, as her hands were above Naruto's wounded shoulder as well to aid Tsunade.  
  
"I don't know. Something's wrong ..." Tsunade let out as she concentrated more chakra to her hands.  
  
"He's waking up ..." Jiraiya mumbled as Tsunade stopped what she was doing and immediately placed a hand on the boy's cheek and stared at him.  
  
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, but his vision was too blurry to see who 's eyes were looking into his own, although he did feel something warm near his cheek.  
  
"Naruto?" Tsunade spoke out to him as she saw the confusion in his eyes.  
  
"Old hag...?" Naruto spoke out with a strained voice.  
  
"Shh. Save your strength." Tsunade told him as she placed two fingers on the mask, above his lips.  
  
Seconds later, Naruto coughed up more blood as the machine that monitored his heart rate started to make more high pitch sounds. Naruto seemed to have trouble to breath, as his lips parted for more air, his hands began to bleed.  
  
"Tsunade! His ... His hands...." One of the nurse spoke out as she pointed to the hands.  
  
"Bandage them up! And bring some more O negative blood." Shizune took command as she concentrated once again on the wound.  
  
"Naruto?" Jiraiya spoke out as he noticed the boy's breathing slowed down, just like his heartbeat.  
  
Naruto simply closed his eyes, as he whispered one word on his lips, but was barely auditable.  
  
"Kabuto ..." Naruto whispered before he went unconscious again.  
  
"What did he say?" Tsunade demanded the sennin.  
  
"He said Kabuto. Isn't that the guy that went after you a month ago?" Jiraiya asked.  
  
"Hai ... He also nearly killed Naruto ..." Tsunade let out, as the genins on the outside of the room could hear their conversation very well.  
  
---- Outside Room 101 ----  
  
"Kabuto? Wasn't that the guy who helped us in the forest?" Sakura asked Sasuke, as she tried to wipe those tears away.  
  
"Hai ..." Sasuke replied, but his eyes never left his companion.  
  
"Kabuto ... So he's responsible for this ..." Kakashi told himself as he looked back inside the room.  
  
"Tsunade-sama!" A doctor yelled inside the room.  
  
"What's going on in there?" Sakura said when they noticed the worried faces of the two sennins and the nurses.  
  
---- Inside room 101 ----  
  
"What!" Tsunade snapped at the doctor.  
  
"Curse symbols ..." The doctor mumbled as he pointed to the boy's neck and stomach.  
  
"Nani?" Tsunade and Jiraiya let out at the same time as they examined it closer.  
  
"What the ...?!" Shizune let out, surprised as well by these unknown marks.  
  
Before anyone could say anything more, a loud and constant beep sound remained, as they all looked up towards the doctor who monitored Naruto's heart.  
  
"Oh no ..." Shizune let out.  
  
"It can't be ..." Tsunade let out in surprise as she noticed Naruto wasn't breathing anymore.  
  
Tsunade lost no time as everyone seemed shocked by the fact Naruto's heart had stopped beating. Tsunade placed her hands, crossed together, above Naruto's heart, as she tried to leak her own chakra in the boy's body.  
  
"Shizune what are those marks?" Jiraiya demanded and answer as he shook the female out of her trance.  
  
"It's a forbidden jutsu for the medic-nins to use because it's too dangerous for the user and the one it's used on ..." Shizune explained as she joined in to help Tsunade.  
  
"What does it do?" Jiraiya asked.  
  
"I don't know! It's forbidden knowledge that was destroyed decades ago!" Shizune replied under the pressure she was being placed on.  
  
"Chikushou ... Why doesn't it affect him!?" Tsunade yelled out as the nurses remained in place, and away from the body.  
  
For 15 minutes, Tsunade and Shizune worked hard to make their own chakra flow within the body and to heal the damages but with no success. At this point, the genins on the other side were all sad, as Sakura was already in tears. Jiraiya looked back at the blond and noticed how a small smiled had formed on his lips.  
  
"You brought him back Naruto ... You kept your promise to her ..." Jiraiya thought as he took a peek at the pink haired girl.  
  
"I'm not losing him! I'm not losing any more people!" Tsunade yelled out as Shizune had stopped her chakra flow due that it was now almost depleted.  
  
"Tsunade-sama ... I don't think ...." Shizune stated which earned her a deadly glare from the Hokage.  
  
"Why isn't that damn fox helping him!?" Tsunade stated and immediately this got her the attention of the Jounins, the nurses, the doctors, and most of all Jiraiya.  
  
Jiraiya rushed over to the woman, as he grabbed her by the arms and stopped her from continuing her useless efforts. She struggled as she could but the fact her chakra and strength had been drained, couldn't let her escape from the sennin's grip.  
  
"Let me go!" Tsunade demanded.  
  
"You can't do any more for him ... He's gone ..." Jiraiya told her with sadness.  
  
"I won't allow that to happen! Naruto deserves to live more than anyone else ..." Tsunade spoke out as she lowered her head, tears began to form in her eyes from the reality of the situation.  
  
"Tsunade-sama ..." Shizune approached her friend to try and comfort her.  
  
"Naze?" Tsunade let out in half anger and sob.  
  
"Why what?" Jiraiya spoke out.  
  
"Why aren't you healing him!? Don't you get it yet you stupid fox!? If Naruto dies then you go down with him! So what the hell are you waiting for to give him back to us ... Give him back to me! Kyubi!" Tsunade yelled out as Jiraiya quickly placed his hand over Tsunade's mouth, but it was already too late.  
  
Tsunade fell to her knees as the tears continued to flow, while the doctor finally turned off both machines, while the nurses all lowered their heads in respect for the boy.  
  
"He never deserved this ..." Tsunade mumbled as Jiraiya placed a comforting hand on her shoulders.  
  
---- Outside Room 101 ----  
  
Sakura burst into tears, while the others all lowered their heads, to hid their own tears, while Sasuke continued to look inside the room, as the doctor pulled up the sheet up to Naruto's neck.  
  
"It can't be ... Naruto can't be dead ..." Sasuke let out, eyes widened in surprise.  
  
TBC?  
  
============================================================================ ======================  
  
Well I hope the chapter was to your liking, and there's one more twist to come! But right now I'm more worried about the death threats I'll get since technically, Naruto's dead ... And I know I'm evil for leaving it there, but if I didn't the chapter would have been way longer and people would have to wait longer for the next chapter to come out ... So let me know if you throw things at me ne? And of course what you think!  
  
P.S : Nice long chapter here. 5000 + words. Suddenly had the idea how to write this chapter cuz for 2 weeks I was like 'what do I write?' turned out good in my opinion. Let me know ne??  
  
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REVIEWS  
  
EmeraldBlossom : Sorry to tell you this but I'm female, so I can't be a bastard lol. Well I'm sure I'll be dodging things from you just after how I stopped this chapter, but no worries, another twist will occur in the next chapter. So let me live long enough to write the next one ne?  
  
Litch Sieger : I wonder is it was a bad thing of the Jutsu I came up with?? But heck my story so I can do what I want with it. Plus a Jutsu like that didn't exist so I had to make it up for this story to continue!  
  
Ookami Kage : Glad you enjoyed the fic! I can't wait for you to update your own fics. And my offer still stands, if you need some help, let me know ne? I have my yahoo messenger opened most of the time, as well as my MSN. I ever help a few other writers with ideas and stuff. Sometimes it's good to talk to someone else about your ideas and they could get better ne?  
  
Jiyu Hatell Kodai : He's between life and death right now, more dead the way I ended the chapter, but I'm being cruel towards Naruto, but keep reading to find out the next twist!  
  
RedMirage07 : Sorry for the late update! I had many problems! I'm happy to know you enjoyed the fight scene cuz those are the hardest to actually write in my opinion.  
  
Silvermist91 : For the other genins to find out about Kyubi, that will soon come, give me a bit more time, with Naruto on the dead side so far and Tsunade's rants about the stupid fox not helping, I'm giving them hints, but Shikamaru of course will most likely be the first one to figure out the truth on his own, without the adults telling them.  
  
Reyoko-chan : Well things went form bad to worse ne? But I'm giving an update on our return team as well as Sasuke. Hope you enjoyed sicne this chapter was a bit hard to write.  
  
Arbil : Well, I guess you didn't like how this chapter ended since Naruto's now dead. But no worries, there's one more twist in this story. That's why I called it Twist of Fate after all ne? As for Naruto's wounds. The Jutsu Kabuto used, reopen all wounds last inflicted on the body in the past 24 hours. And you know, he did get wounded a whole lot, but what saved him was Kyubi's chakra, but that Jutsu also seals in Kyubi's chakra from healing our poor Naruto.  
  
Peter Kim : I'm considering a sequel, but not too sure about it yet. I know this story should end soon, since the main storyline will be over, they did bring Sasuke back and now the Leaf know why Orochimaru wanted Sasuke. But it's in my mind somewhere.  
  
Gopu : Thanks for the compliment!  
  
Anon : I still have a little trouble with my grammar but put that aside and I'm sure the story is good so far.  
  
Jonathan Shim : I really don't know the answer to that question but I just got the information out of the Mangas. In my opinion there would be a limit to how many he can create but this is anime!  
  
Kuroi Hikari : I massacred my poor Naruto and in this chapter things were getting form bad to even worse!  
  
Red Rose : Sorry for the long update but I had trouble in my normal life, work and school you know? So hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
  
Shadow Eclipse : I'm glad that you enjoy my story so far!  
  
CurlSofSerenity : I'm happy to know you enjoyed it so far.  
  
Insanechildfanfic : Thanks for the compliment!  
  
Hasuka : I'm a big meanie! But I couldn't help it but cut it there or else it would be a too long chapter and I needed to update.  
  
Rubymoon17 : I did such a sad but yet great cliffhanger! I'm proud but I hurt my poor Naruto. And this chapter was even worse!  
  
Dragon89 : Well I didn't say he die, that's why this chapter was critical and I do notice I leave the readers hanging between is Naruto dead or alive?  
  
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Thanks for all those that reviewed!  
  
Read and REVIEW!  
  
Until next time!  
  
Ookima  
  
PS : Check other stories and review them too ;) 


	7. Kyubi

Twist of Fate  
  
Chapter 7 : Kyubi

Synopsis : Naruto flat lined as his former friends, teammates and senseis mourn his death, but something strange happens...------Pairings : I decided there will be no pairings in this small story. BUT I'm thinking of a sequel if the people want one. If that's the case let me know?------Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did------Timeline :  
  
- This takes place when Shikamaru, and the team he created went after the 4 Ninjas that took Sasuke with them. In other words it's right after Neji finished his battle with his opponent in Manga Volume 22 Chapter 198.  
  
- Sasuke was NOT put in the wooden barrel to begin with  
  
- Sakon is one of the four ninjas under Orochimaru's command. He's the ninja that seems to have two bodies of some sort ( Chapter 200 )  
  
- Kimimaro was sent by Kabuto ( Orochimaru's right hand ) since the four ninjas were taking too long to come back to Orochimaru.  
  
- To me, all underlings of Orochimaru are male, so sorry if they were any females that I wasn't able to spot.------JUTSU LIST :  
  
Gyaku no Jutsu – Reverse no Jutsu – Description : A forbidden Jutsu that Kabuto came to learn during his first years under Orochimaru's care. This seals the chakra of an opponent, as well to reverse it's effects on the body. In other words, every wound that the chakra healed during the last 24 hours, will surface and the damage will return..------JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Urousai = Shut Up -  
  
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn  
  
All notes concerning future reviews will be replied at the bottom of the story.============================================================================ ======================RECAPKonoha Hospital---- Inside room 101 ----  
  
"What!" Tsunade snapped at the doctor.  
  
"Curse symbols ..." The doctor mumbled as he pointed to the boy's neck and stomach.  
  
"Nani?" Tsunade and Jiraiya let out at the same time as they examined it closer.  
  
"What the ...?!" Shizune let out, surprised as well by these unknown marks.  
  
Before anyone could say anything more, a loud and constant beep sound remained, as they all looked up towards the doctor who monitored Naruto's heart.  
  
"Oh no ..." Shizune let out.  
  
"It can't be ..." Tsunade let out in surprise as she noticed Naruto wasn't breathing anymore.  
  
Tsunade lost no time as everyone seemed shocked by the fact Naruto's heart had stopped beating. Tsunade placed her hands, crossed together, above Naruto's heart, as she tried to leak her own chakra in the boy's body.  
  
"Shizune what are those marks?" Jiraiya demanded and answer as he shook the female out of her trance.  
  
"It's a forbidden jutsu for the medic-nins to use because it's too dangerous for the user and the one it's used on ..." Shizune explained as she joined in to help Tsunade.  
  
"What does it do?" Jiraiya asked.  
  
"I don't know! It's forbidden knowledge that was destroyed decades ago!" Shizune replied under the pressure she was being placed on.  
  
"Chikushou ... Why doesn't it affect him!?" Tsunade yelled out as the nurses remained in place, and away from the body.  
  
For 15 minutes, Tsunade and Shizune worked hard to make their own chakra flow within the body and to heal the damages but with no success. At this point, the genins on the other side were all sad, as Sakura was already in tears. Jiraiya looked back at the blond and noticed how a small smiled had formed on his lips.  
  
"You brought him back Naruto ... You kept your promise to her ..." Jiraiya thought as he took a peek at the pink haired girl.  
  
"I'm not losing him! I'm not losing any more people!" Tsunade yelled out as Shizune had stopped her chakra flow due that it was now almost depleted.  
  
"Tsunade-sama ... I don't think ...." Shizune stated which earned her a deadly glare from the Hokage.  
  
"Why isn't that damn fox helping him!?" Tsunade stated and immediately this got her the attention of the Jounins, the nurses, the doctors, and most of all Jiraiya.  
  
Jiraiya rushed over to the woman, as he grabbed her by the arms and stopped her from continuing her useless efforts. She struggled as she could but the fact her chakra and strength had been drained, couldn't let her escape from the sennin's grip.  
  
"Let me go!" Tsunade demanded.  
  
"You can't do any more for him ... He's gone ..." Jiraiya told her with sadness.  
  
"I won't allow that to happen! Naruto deserves to live more than anyone else ..." Tsunade spoke out as she lowered her head, tears began to form in her eyes from the reality of the situation.  
  
"Tsunade-sama ..." Shizune approached her friend to try and comfort her.  
  
"Naze?" Tsunade let out in half anger and sob.  
  
"Why what?" Jiraiya spoke out.  
  
"Why aren't you healing him!? Don't you get it yet you stupid fox!? If Naruto dies then you go down with him! So what the hell are you waiting for to give him back to us ... Give him back to me! Kyubi!" Tsunade yelled out as Jiraiya quickly placed his hand over Tsunade's mouth, but it was already too late.  
  
Tsunade fell to her knees as the tears continued to flow, while the doctor finally turned off both machines, while the nurses all lowered their heads in respect for the boy.  
  
"He never deserved this ..." Tsunade mumbled as Jiraiya placed a comforting hand on her shoulders.  
  
---- Outside Room 101 ----  
  
Sakura burst into tears, while the others all lowered their heads, to hid their own tears, while Sasuke continued to look inside the room, as the doctor pulled up the sheet up to Naruto's neck.  
  
"It can't be ... Naruto can't be dead ..." Sasuke let out, eyes widened in surprise.--------All genins were shocked, some more than others, while the Jounins remained somewhat saddened by the fact the number 1 loudmouth shinobi could now be dead, as well as Tsunade's shocking words in the ER room, forgetting that to speak the demon's name was forbidden before the younger generations like Sasuke and so on.  
  
"This is a joke right!? That idiot can't be dead!" Kiba shouted as he got closed to the window in hopes his eyes were mistaken.  
  
"Naruto-kun ..." Lee softly spoke, as he continued to hold onto Neji.  
  
"This can't be ..." Sakura let out as tears streamed down her eyes, down her cheeks.  
  
Kakashi couldn't look through the window anymore as he stepped aside and leaned against the wall. He crossed his arms and closed his visible eye, while the other 3 Jounins simply observed him.  
  
"Poor Kakashi ..." Gai let out as his eyes observed the deceased blond and his eternal rival.  
  
"Has anyone thought to warn Iruka?" Kurenai raised her head to look at her side, where Asuma stood.  
  
"Hai, the Anbu were sent to retrieve him ..." Asuma confirmed.  
  
"Out of all of us, Iruka was the closest person to Naruto ..." Kurenai whispered as she then looked over to Gai.  
  
"To lose a student, a friend and a teammate is among the hardest things to lose ... without him, nothing will ever be the same ..." Gai let out as he watched the distinct lifeless figure on the other side of the window.  
  
At that moment, footsteps could be heard as Kakashi opened his eyes to take a look at who was heading their way. The last Anbu had finally managed to reach Iruka, as he brought him where the others were.  
  
"How bad is it?" Iruka asked with worry.  
  
The rest remained silent, but their tears, their outbursts, their expressions, all showed all too much that things weren't going too well. Iruka wanted to step closer to where the genins were, when Kakashi grabbed him by the wrist.  
  
"Iruka ... You don't want to ..." Kakashi tried to explain to the Chuunin but this one wouldn't listen.  
  
Iruka struggled enough as Kakashi couldn't find his own strength to keep Iruka from seeing such a devastating scene. The Jounin gathered behind Iruka, as this one froze in place, eyes widened.  
  
"Why ... What ..." Iruka had many question but couldn't find the strength to complete any one of them.  
  
"He ... He stayed behind ... So we could make it back to Konoha alive ..." Shikamaru broke the silence, as he approached his former sensei, but showed his sadness.  
  
"This can't be ..." Iruka mumbled as he brought his hand to cover his mouth.  
  
"We ... We shouldn't have left him to fight them! We should have helped!" Kiba yelled out as Akamaru hid himself in fear of his master's anger.  
  
"Kiba ..." Sasuke and Neji let out, surprised by his outburst.---- Inside Room 201 ----Tsunade slowly raised herself to her feet as she walked over to the lifeless body of Naruto. She quietly reached out and brushed those tainted blond locks away from his tanned and soft skin.  
  
"You know ... The reason I became the fifth Hokage was because he showed me in his own idiotic way, that no matter how hard your life can be, there's always something, even if it's tiny, that's worth to continue living on ..." Tsunade mumbled as Shizune lowered her eyes, tears already filled in them.  
  
"The brat had that effect on people ... He was loud and liked to play tricks ... But he always came through ... He always kept his promises no matter what the cost ..." Jiraiya whispered as he joined Tsunade's side and took a small moment to look over to the pink haired girl Naruto so adored.  
  
"He was suppose to become the Sixth Hokage ..." Tsunade trailed off, not able to continue.  
  
The room was now filled with silence, as each genin, Jounin and Sennin all thought about those little moments they spent with Naruto.============================================================================ ======================Inside Naruto ...Naruto laid in a pool of his own blood, right in front of the Kyubi's cage, as the fox himself, seemed less fearful than he usually was. Kyubi stared down at the boy, as he was well aware that the boy's heart had stopped beating, but yet, he wondered why the boy remained before his cage.  
  
"Am I dead?" Naruto asked with a soft tone as he stared up into the dark red ceiling.  
  
"Shouldn't you know the answer yourself? This is your body boy." Kyubi reminded the boy as he let his body rest against the bars.  
  
"Actually ... I have this strange feeling ... Like I'm finally free ..." Naruto confided in the fox, no longer caring what he was.  
  
"Are you actually happy that you're dead?" Kyubi asked a bit surprised by the stupidity of his soon to be former host.  
  
"Everyone dies sooner or later ... But at least I could keep my promise and the others are alive ..." Naruto half explained with a small smile that graced his lips.  
  
The fox was taken by surprise by those words, in all of his lifetime, never had he met someone as loud, annoying, stupid, and such an unpredictable human being. After all, Kyubi could be known to know Naruto better than anyone since he had been with the boy since he was born, but never once showed or spoke to him.  
  
"Ne Kyubi? If I'm dead, why are you still here?" Naruto asked as he slightly turned his head to meet the ferocious eyes of the fox.  
  
The fox was more surprised to see the innocence in those deep bright blue eyes, but the fact that this boy knew the seal had weaken due to his death, surprised him even more.  
  
"The seal has weakened, but I can't just leave yet ..." Kyubi stated as he looked away.  
  
This human really bothered him, the way he acted and how he could reply in such an idiotic way, always caught him off guard.  
  
"Arigatou ..." Naruto murmured.  
  
This immediately caught his attention as he returned a glare to the boy, who actually seemed sincere in the word he just spoke. Naruto simply closed his eyes and spread his arms on his side, as though he waited for something to happen.  
  
"I've been nothing but a burden to you since you were born and here you are thanking me? You are a complicated human ..." Kyubi let out as he decided to observe the boy a bit longer.  
  
"Don't misunderstand, I do hate you ... But, if it wasn't for you and your strength, I wouldn't have been able to keep my promise. And then ..." Naruto trailed off as he turned to his side, his back turned to the fox.  
  
"And then?" Kyubi asked out of curiosity.  
  
"You stayed with me till the end ...So I wasn't alone ..." Naruto mumbled loud enough for the fox to hear.  
  
For the third time, the fox was taken by surprise by the boy's words as he felt now, more than ever, the seal was soon to brake, and then he would perhaps be free, but something still bothered the fox.  
  
"Before I take my leave human, answer me this simply question." Kyubi demanded to the blond.  
  
"Sure." Naruto answered with honesty as he turned around and opened his eyes to meet those of Kyubi.  
  
"If I would have refused your offer, what would you had done?" Kyubi asked with a serious tone.  
  
"I would of fought, with or without your help." Naruto truthfully answered.  
  
"Even if it meant you'd die?" Kyubi asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Yeah ..." Naruto let out.  
  
"Aren't you the one with the dream to become Hokage so those stupid humans would acknowledge you?" Kyubi asked a second question.  
  
"I thought you only wanted to ask me ONE question." Naruto spoke with a smile while the fox glared at him.  
  
"Smartass ..." Kyubi growled.  
  
"As for my dreams ... Of course I wanted to realize them, but you know ... Saving my friends is more important and if the situation would happen again, I would do it all over again ..." Naruto answered as he locked eyes with the Kyubi.  
  
"Only someone like you could give a great demon such an answer ..." Kyubi let out before he raised himself on his 4 paws.  
  
"Guess this is goodbye ne?" Naruto let out with a sad smile.  
  
"That is for me to decide brat ..." Kyubi let out as his form began to disappear.  
  
Slowly, Kyubi's chakra surrounded him as the fox's form began to vanish, while Naruto simply stirred to his right side and was ready to welcome death, unaware of the last remark the fox made before this one vanished from his prison cell.============================================================================ ======================Konoha Hospital---- Outside Room 201 ----Iruka was ready to burst into tears, as Kakashi explained clearly what happened while the other genins silently shed their own tears, but one among them was reacting in his own way, the only way that he knew since the tragedy of his clan.  
  
"I'll make him come back..." Sasuke told himself as he clenched his fists and tossed his pink haired teammate out of his way.  
  
Before anyone could stop Sasuke from going inside the room, it was already too late. Kakashi was about to interfere just like Sakura when Iruka broke them out of their own trance.  
  
"Let him ... Even though they were rivals ... Naruto often told me how he respected Sasuke more than anyone else ... Because that boy, didn't treat him like the adults did ..." Iruka informed them as he walked closer to the glass, as the others all lowered their heads.---- Inside Room 201 ----Sasuke rushed to his rival's side, while Tsunade motioned the doctors and nurse to let the boy through, after all, Uchiha Sasuke had already lost his family and entire clan, he had the right to visit his only rival, the only person that he showed a little interest in, and maybe his only true friend ...  
  
"You idiot! Always trying to show off!" Sasuke shouted as he slapped Naruto's right cheek.  
  
Upon that action, everyone gasped, their eyes widened, shocked by the boy's reaction towards his now deceased teammate. Jiraiya quickly made his way around the bed as he grabbed Sasuke by the wrist, preventing him form hitting the blond again.  
  
"What is wrong with you!?" Jiraiya demanded an answer out of the boy.  
  
Jiraiya forced the boy to turn around as his eyes met with the well known Sharingan of the boy before him.  
  
"Naruto was never the kind of person to just listen and obey. That dobe is the kind you have to beat it into him to have his reaction!" Sasuke explained himself to the entire room.  
  
"Sasuke ..." Tsunade let out, surprised by Sasuke's emotions.  
  
Sasuke was about to continue his explanation when he felt an enormous amount of chakra behind him. He barely had time to turn around, when Jiraiya pulled him further away from Naruto's bedside, while Tsunade took a few steps back.  
  
"I want no one to make any moves without my permission." Tsunade ordered, as two Anbus stood in the bedroom door, to prevent any more from entering.  
  
With that said, all eyes were focused on the lifeless body of Naruto, as red chakra appeared and began to swirl around his body. The swirls began to rise high in the air, as the tense atmosphere could easily be felt in and outside the room.  
  
Seconds later, the red chakra seem to gather at Naruto's feet and formed a sphere, hiding what it contained. The sphere slowly lowered itself to reveal it's content when two pointy ears were the first things that everyone noticed.  
  
"It couldn't be ..." Tsunade gasped as she placed a hand over her mouth, while Sasuke looked confused and Jiraiya remained silent.  
  
"Kitsune...?" Sasuke let out as he remembered how he saw the same fox when Naruto battled with Gaara after their Chuunin exam was interrupted.  
  
The sphere dissolved and revealed a dark orange fox with nine tails, that sat at Naruto's feet and glared at the Fifth Hokage. The fox was around the same size as Naruto's body, as he showed his dangerous red eyes and swung his tails behind him, making sure the Sennin and the Uchiha would keep a safe distance from himself and his former host.  
  
"I've missed it so very much ... The scent of warm blood ..." The fox spoke and grinned.  
  
"Kyubi ..." Tsunade let out as her eyes showed the anger she felt towards the fox.---- Outside Room 201 ----"Kyubi?" Kiba started as Sakura soon followed.  
  
"That can't be! The Fourth Hokage killed the Kyubi 13 years ago!" Sakura shouted through her sobs.  
  
"What's going on Gai-sensei?" Lee asked as Neji took a step closer to the glass.  
  
"It's the same chakra of when I fought against him ..." Neji mumbled as Lee made sure Neji wouldn't slip out of his hands, while the Jounins exchanged worried looks.  
  
At that moment, the fox's head turned around and locked eyes with the Hyuga boy. Neji was a bit worried when he found those same ferocious eyes that stared at him, the same as the one's he saw when Naruto managed to get some unknown chakra out of him after his points had been closed.  
  
"It's the same ..." Neji murmured as Iruka turned his attention towards the Hyuga boy.  
  
"What do you mean!?" Iruka demanded the answer.  
  
"During my fight with him, I closed all his chakra points but then this strange red chakra appeared within his body. At the center of his body the strange fox face appeared but I only could see it due to my Byakugan ..." Neji explained as Gai stepped between the Chuunin and his students so things wouldn't get out of hand.  
  
"We don't know what's going on Iruka, so please clam down and wait. Surely the fifth will know what to do." Gai tried to reassure him, while Kakashi came from behind the Chuunin and placed a comforting hand on Iruka's shoulder.  
  
"You'll have a lot of explaining to do Asuma ..." Shikamaru stated with a serious tone and look towards his own sensei.---- Inside Room 201 ----The fox grinned at those on the other side of the window as he remembered clearly the Hyuga boy during the Chuunin exam. He then turned his attention towards the Uchiha boy who seemed shocked by his own presence, and so the fox took great pleasure in to torturing these humans.  
  
"You'd expect the greatest demon to be a bit bigger." Jiraiya commented as this earned him the immediate death glare of the fox, while Tsunade wanted to scold the sennin for saying such a stupid thing at a crucial moment.  
  
"The seal has only weakened, it has not been broken ... Yet ..." Kyubi specified as he turned his attention towards the Hokage instead, he would have his little fun with the Uchiha a bit later.  
  
"Why?" Tsunade spoke the only word that came to mind to why the fox was alive and the fact that Kyubi didn't heal him.  
  
The fox lost his grin as he stood up on all 4 paws and crawled towards Naruto's upper body. He placed on paw on the blanket that covered the boy and sank his claws into them, while he dragged the blanket off the boy.  
  
Kyubi tossed the bed sheet to the bloody floor, as he made sure the seal that sealed him within the boy was visible to all, as well as the two cursed marks that were added less than an hour ago. He then sat down next to his former host and glared at the Hokage, without forgetting the presence of the other two, Sasuke and Jiraiya.  
  
"These new curses block my chakra along with this annoying brat." Kyubi explained as he pointed to the one on Naruto's stomach.  
  
"Then you better find a way to heal him and bring him back or else I'll make sure you die as well." Tsunade threatened the fox, as she moved closer to him.  
  
"You would dare to threatened me?" Kyubi replied as his anger started to show.  
  
"Don't mistake. I'm would not DARE to threatened you. I AM threatening you." Tsunade corrected the fox and glared at him.  
  
Kyubi smirked by the answer he'd gotten since this was the second time a human dared to threatened him despite his previous record as a demon and killer. He simply turned his back on the Hokage and stared back at Sasuke.  
  
"Don't you dare ignore me!" Tsunade yelled out as she didn't give a damn anymore that he was the nine tails demon fox.  
  
She rushed over to the bed and immediately, the fox turned around to be only inches away from her face and saw how serious the fox actually was.  
  
"You're going to bring him back!" Tsunade ordered him.  
  
"Did I ever say that I wouldn't?" The fox replied and grinned.  
  
"What do you ..." Tsunade blinked a few times, confused by the reply she got.  
  
"If I were you, I'd concentrate more on canceling those curse marks instead of speaking with a demon." Kyubi reminded the Hokage.  
  
"It's a forbidden Jutsu, even I don't know the signs to it ..." Tsunade let out, as though she was defeated.  
  
"You humans are truly idiots." Kyubi commented as the Kyubi stared into her eyes.  
  
Within seconds, red chakra began to cover the fifth Hokage, while Jiraiya and the Anbus prepared to interfere, but Tsunade gave them a sign not to.  
  
"You forget that us demons, have many hidden talents ..." Kyubi reminded the Hokage, while this one, stopped struggling.============================================================================ ======================FLASHBACKKabuto pulled out a kunai, as he then stabbed the Kimimaro who stood beside him. It was indeed a Bunshin since this one disappeared in smoke, while Kabuto now stood only a meter away from the kitsune.  
  
"Just so you know before you die brat... My blood inheritance limit controls both the bone forming and destroying cells. As well as the density of calcium, to manipulate the formation of bones." Kimimaro explained.  
  
"And you should know Kyubi, humans have around 200 bones in their body ... but Kimimaro can change that number." Kabuto completed the lesson.  
  
Kyubi tried to punch Kimimaro with his free hand, but the shinobi simply concentrated as more bones shot out of his shoulder and kept the fist entangled between the bones.  
  
"You should have stayed out of Orochimaru-sama's way ... Naruto kun ... Kyubi- san ..." Kabuto let out as he rearranged the height of his glasses and gave out an evil smile.  
  
Kabuto brought his hands together as he begun to make several hand seals. For the first time, Kyubi was powerless. The fact he had many bones pierced within his body, as both his hands were unmovable, even with his amount of chakra, he couldn't heal the wounds if something was still lodged in them.  
  
Kabuto finally completed his hand seals, as he thrust his hands at two separate places. One one the original seal that kept the Kyubi prisoner of the blonde's body, with the other wrapped itself around Kyubi's neck.  
  
"Gyaku no Jutsu!" Kabuto yelled out, as Kyubi's eyes, as well as Kimimaro's widened upon the impact, as both took a few steps back.  
  
Two small signs appeared at both places, while Kyubi's head leaned forward as he coughed up a great amount of blood.  
  
Kimimaro regained his balance as he glared at the medic-nin that fell to his knees due to his low amount of chakra.  
  
"Now I'm angry ..." Kyubi murmured as he lifted his head to directly look into Kabuto's eyes.  
  
Kyubi's eyes showed the immense rage, as the kitsune was suddenly engulf in a large ball of red chakra. His eyes glowed of a deadly red, while Kabuto covered his face with one of his arms, while the other supported the weight of his body.  
  
Kyubi's rage could be felt throughout Konoha's forest, as he forced Kimimaro to release him. The power of the red chakra had pushed back Kimimaro's body, as the bones ripped out of the fox's skin, as the shinobi landed with precaution on the ground.  
  
All eyes were turned to the great sphere that surrounded the boy, as strong winds and dirt swirled around it. In the middle of it all, a soaked blond shinobi stood there, with one thing in mind, to kill.  
  
END OF FLASHBACK  
  
============================================================================ ======================Konoha Hospital---- Inside Room 201 ----The red chakra returned towards the fox, as Tsunade fell to her knees, her hands covered her face and stomach, as she just realized the fox actually gave her the small memory that happened when Naruto and himself received the forbidden jutsu.  
  
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya yelled, worried for his former comrade.  
  
"I'm alright ..." Tsunade gasped as she managed to stand up, while Shizune lost no time to rush by her friend's side.  
  
"What did you do to her!?" Shizune yelled at the fox.  
  
The fox grinned and stared back at the young female, while Tsunade placed a hand on her friend's shoulder to calm her.  
  
"Kabuto might of used a forbidden Jutsu, but he forgot one thing ..." Tsunade began as this caught everyone's attention.  
  
"What?" Jiraiya asked, curious of the answer he might get.  
  
"His Jutsu, there's a flaw in it ..." Tsunade quickly answered, which earned many confused looks.  
  
"Huh?" Shizune didn't quite follow at first until the Kyubi decided to give them a hint.  
  
"This jutsu seals the chakra of the person, but it wasn't made to seal a demon's chakra ..." Kyubi hinted them.  
  
"You mean that you could break the jutsu!?" Shizune let out surprised.  
  
"Iie, he's sealed, he can't use his chakra at will, but Naruto can." Tsunade specified as she looked over to the fox with a light smile.  
  
"But Naruto-kun's is ... Is dead ..." Shizune was more confused than ever.  
  
"His soul is still present isn't it?" Jiraiya started to understand the situation.  
  
The fox slightly turned his head to meet the gaze of the white haired Sennin and couldn't help but smile to him, before the fifth's voice caught back his attention.  
  
"Why are you trying to save him Kyubi? After all you could just wait for the seal to wear off and bring chaos to the world once more. So why give us the chance to seal you away again?" Tsunade asked, intrigued by the fox's true motivations.  
  
"Why would the most powerful demon want to stay sealed within an loud mouthed annoying brat like him? Because even though I would be free and love to taste the blood of humans, they never entertained me for long. They were always too easy to kill and then the world starts to be boring again." Kyubi began to explain as everyone carefully listened.  
  
"Why?" Tsunade repeated her question.  
  
"There are many reason oh great Hokage. This Uzumaki Naruto ... He's the Fourth Hokage's legacy is he not?" Kyubi let out some knowledge that even Tsunade was surprised for the fox to know of.  
  
"How did you ..." Tsunade wanted to ask but the fox simply smiled back at her.  
  
"That is for only me to know and you to wonder how I know." Kyubi smirked before he continued his explanation. "This stupid brat entertains me to no end with his stupidity and his behavior. The way he thinks, the way he acts in moments of danger, his reactions, I truly enjoy them. His feelings, the hatred he feels towards the Villagers, along with the sorrow, he's unlike any I've encountered before." Kyubi explained.  
  
"What are you saying?" Shizune broke the silence.  
  
"I've found something to entertain me. I'll give him the chance to perhaps live, but when he becomes useless or I get bored with him ... I'll dispose of him myself." Kyubi warned them with menacing eyes. "So if I were you, I'd find a way to get this stupid brat's attention." Kyubi commented as he took one last glanced at Uchiha.  
  
With those words said, Kyubi's physical form began to vanished and gather on the bed, while the others prepared to intervened. Seconds later, Kyubi was no more, but left an evil laughter behind him, as the red chakra seemed to reenter Naruto's lifeless body.  
  
"What do we do now?" Shizune asked as she stared at her friend.  
  
Tsunade couldn't help but look to the genins who stood on the other side of the glass, now they would have many questions to ask her about Naruto and the Kyubi, but for now Naruto's care is what mattered.  
  
"We tried everything to get him back ... Maybe we were too late ..." Tsunade trailed off as she lowered her head, until she heard a loud smacking sound.  
  
She raised her head and noticed Sasuke was no longer by the sennin's side but by Naruto's side, his hand up, ready to give another slap to Naruto's left cheek. She was about to interfere when Jiraiya gave her a certain look, which stopped her.  
  
"Naruto was never one to listen unless it was beaten into him." Jiraiya smiled as Sasuke continued his torture.  
  
"Come on dobe! I thought you wanted to kick my ass!" Sasuke continued his violent act, not caring what others thought about him.  
  
Tsunade slightly smiled as she motioned to her friend to join her by Naruto's side.  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Shizune asked.  
  
"We've been concentrating our own chakra at two different points and his wounds instead of the source." Tsunade began to explain.  
  
"In other words, if we want to negate the curses, we need to attack them directly." Shizune caught on quickly, as she placed her hands above Naruto's first curse mark on his stomach.  
  
"Kabuto might have used a forbidden jutsu, but I'm not known as one of the legendary three sennins for nothing!" Tsunade let out with a smile as she joined her friend to try and cancel out the curse.============================================================================ ======================Inside NarutoNaruto lazily opened his eyes when he heard a familiar, evil laughter to his right side. He managed to sat up with difficulty as he noticed an enormous amount of red chakra gathered back into Kyubi's former cage.  
  
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked, as he found himself staring back into those dangerous red eyes.  
  
"Giving you a chance to live ..." Kyubi answered.  
  
"Huh?" Naruto let out, a bit confused.  
  
"Continue to entertain me, Uzumaki Naruto." Kyubi spoke his last words as he retreated into the darkness of his cage and left the blond and confused shinobi alone to deal with what was to come.  
  
"You are really a stupid fox ..." Naruto commented when he heard new strange noises from above him.  
  
"I always knew you'd die in such a stupid way. You're such an idiot." Sasuke spoke.  
  
Naruto could clearly hear Sasuke's voice within the darkness of the room, and found himself standing up, searching form where it came from.  
  
"Typical of you to die like this ... guess you'll always be a dobe. Maybe we should write that on your tombstone ..." Sasuke continued.  
  
Slap Slap  
  
"What the hell ...?" Naruto let out as he heard those strange sounds.  
  
"How can you become Hokage if you're dead. Kami you are such an idiot. Weren't you always telling me how you would be my ass one day? Guess you finally gave up huh? Kinda normal since you know I've always been better than you... Dobe." Sasuke continued his rants while Naruto's blood started to boil.  
  
"That asshole!" Naruto shouted as he began to walk towards where the voice came from. "No god damn curse is going to stop me from kicking your sorry ass Uchiha!" Naruto cursed as he continued on his way but found some resistance.  
  
It seems that the curse prevented him from going any further, but unknown to Naruto, Kyubi's eyes glowed at the bottom of his cage as he observed the blond with interest and grinned.  
  
Slap Slap  
  
"You'll always be a dobe, dobe." Sasuke continued his taunts.  
  
"You are so dead you bastard!" Naruto yelled out as his blue chakra started to surround him, but the curse activated and quickly his own chakra began to disappear.  
  
"Entertain me ...Uzumaki Naruto ..." Kyubi whispered as his red chakra found it's way to the blond.  
  
"What the ..?" Naruto noticed the red chakra surrounding him, but didn't felt threatened by it.  
  
Naruto closed his fists, as he felt the power that protected him from the curse and he took a deep breath, before he gathered what remained of his own true chakra to mix it with that of the Kyubi's. Much to his surprise, two more chakra colors joined in, but Naruto had yet known the source of it.  
  
"I'll never give up!" Naruto yelled out as he charged forward, in hopes to finally reach that voice and free him.  
  
"Dobe ..." Sasuke spoke the last word Naruto remembered hearing before darkness consumed him.============================================================================ ======================Konoha Hospital---- Inside room 201 ---For 10 minutes, Sasuke continuously slapped Naruto and continued to insult the blond shinobi by calling him an idiot and dead-last, but there was still no reaction from his rival, and so Sasuke finally gave out, while the two sennins remained close by.  
  
"The curse mark ..." Shizune pointed to the boy's stomach.  
  
The curse mark faded slowly, but still remained, and so Tsunade and Shizune gave all their strength left to annihilate it.  
  
All eyes were locked on Sasuke, and the blond boy who laid lifelessly in the bed, as Sasuke had lowered his head, in defeat of not being able to bring his rival back, until he felt something warm and wet touch his skin. The dark haired boy raised his head slowly to stared at his arm where he felt the sensation.  
  
"Don't call me that ... You bastard ..." Naruto murmured as his chest began to rise and go back down again.  
  
Sasuke's eyes widened as he noticed the blond had his hand firmly wrapped around his wrist, while Naruto slowly opened his eyes to reveal those bright blue eyes, but filled with pain.  
  
Naruto was back ...  
  
Naruto was breathing ...  
  
Naruto was alive ...  
  
But for how long ...  
  
No one knew ...TBC?============================================================================ ======================Well this chapter was a bit longer than expected and not at all like I wanted it to turn out though ... Again sorry for the lateness but I have a really really have good reason for all my fics, just read the important note below to understand and hope you all forgive me!  
  
32 Reviews! Me so happy now, although I did get a few death threats ... ( Looks around to make sure they aren't any more attempts on my life ) Well I've lived up long enough to write this chapter and I hope you enjoy it although there might be one reviewer who won't but hopefully I gave a good reason to how Naruto managed to come back to life without sacrificing anyone!  
  
By the way, this story is 6 000 words long, so I think I worked hard on this chapter!  
  
--------IMPORTANT! I got two part time jobs and I was called in all week! I even had to ditch evening school for this week to work, so the updates came much later than wanted and so I highly apologize for it!--------NOTE! A special thanks to ARBIL! You were my 100th reviewer for this story and so I dedicate this chapter to you for sticking with me in most of my stories! THANKS!--------REVIEWS  
  
EmeraldBlossom : I know I was mean to make him die in the last chapter but this chapter kinda made up for it ne?  
  
Dragon89 : I'm a big meanie to kill off Naruto for half an hour or so but you must be relieved that he's kinda alive now.  
  
Licht Sieger : I know I kinda ended the chapter at not one of the best places but I didn't know how else to write on, so I needed some time to think it through and read the reviews that give me some ideas sometimes. Glad you liked it though.  
  
Cards : First time I see your name, glad you enjoy and yes, Naruto was brought back, but to know if he's going to stay well that's unknown for now.  
  
Ookami Kage : I use to be like that too. I prefer to read than write but then I noticed that I had so many ideas that I wanted to see out there, so I decided to try myself as I writer and so here I am! I'm glad I still like to read although it's hard to find a good unique fic ... Anyway, glad you enjoy all my fics although I'm having myself a hard time lately. Thanks again for your support.  
  
Curlsoftserenity : Me evil ne? But I'm glad that you took time to review and leave a nice comment.  
  
Stoictimer : Well Orochimaru won't revive him, hell he wanted him dead and out of the way so logically that would be plain out stupid ne? But Naruto did come back to life at the end of this chapter ... For now anyway....  
  
Tenshi no tabris : You came really close to my new twist in this story, yes, Kyubi has something to do with it, but the fact that the Jutsu used on him has some side effects help. Glad you enjoy this fic so far!  
  
DragonSoul : Gomen for the late update but I wanted to priorities my other hot fic, but with the death threats on my life well I took in this one first, so sorry for the wait! But I guess with this chapter done you'll kinda feel better that he's not flat-lined anymore, well for now ...  
  
Kuroi Hikari : I was really evil to leave you all hanging like that with a dead Naruto, but hopefully this chapter made up for it.  
  
Silvermist91 : You were right! Naruto came back to life although some people might say it was a dumb way to make him alive again.  
  
Rubymoon17 : I'm glad I got some reaction out of my readers. Glad you liked this chapter!  
  
Hellsing : Chapter 7 finally out! I'm sure you're happy!  
  
Victor-ko : Yep! Naruto's back for now! That's why I chose that precise title for the story because it contained so many twists ne? Convincing Sasuke to come back, making a deal with Kyubi, willingly letting Kyubi take over his body, so many twists no wonder it's called Twist of fate ne?  
  
Pheox : You're right! I would have made a big warning sign saying someone would die if that was the case, which it isn't so I'm sure you're relieved with reading this chapter!  
  
Siodhn01 : The story doesn't end here! As for the parings, well in this one there won't be, I'm thinking of a sequel with pairings, but that's up to reviewers to vote for.  
  
Gopu : thanks for saying a nice thing and reviewing!  
  
Renn : I noticed you love that pairing! Maybe I'll make a short fic on that pairing and dedicate it to you since you love it! Let me know what you think ne? Oh and thanks! I feel so better now that you called me a gifted writer ( cries of joy ) I think I'm getting better and better although I can never compare with Shirohane-sama ...  
  
Arbil : I'm so evil! I wanted a good reaction out of you reviewers and I got it! That's why I hinted a little that's there's one more twist to come before I got any death threats lol. Glad you enjoy the story to far!  
  
Rhiannon : He's back! Naruto's back! For now anyway ... Anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
  
Tony640 / insanechildfanfic / davis4ever : Thanks for reviewing! Hope to see you in the next review as well!  
  
Shadowdragon : I know but he tried to tell them more info but the pain and state he was in was impossible, but I hope this chapter cleared up some things for you.  
  
Nikkler : Your review made me laugh! A death threat written in big letters! And yes my twist was the bring him back with a little help from Kyubi of course.  
  
Amasaki Reyoko : Ok, at first I read your review and thought I was being flamed again. Hope that wasn't the case... Anyway, yes Naruto came back to life for now, and I have no intention of having Sasuke get himself killed for revenge over what happened to Naruto and so on. For Sasuke to do such a thing would mean that he had some deep feelings in himself for our little blond and this fic is non-yaoi, so don't worry about it, this story after all reflects on how they got Sasuke back and so on, the rest and if the plot changes, there might be a sequel.  
  
Elie-3173 : (Dodges kunai attacks) I couldn't give any preview or else it would have spoiled the chapter! So this chapter should make you feel better since he's alive for the moment.  
  
Inu-chan 613 : Very emotional ne? That's the reaction I wanted out of my reviewers, hope this chapter was liked by you.  
  
Red Rose : Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Until next time!  
  
Shadow Eclipse : Well I had to end it where I could you know or else it would be really realy long chapter! So I hope you'll like this chapter.  
  
Element4life323 : Sorry if I got you hooked but that was my initial intention so people would like it so I hope you enjoyed this chapter aswell.  
  
Dragon Master Lytore : I've been working on this fic for so long and I'm so happy the people like it! Thanks for reviewing!--------Next Chapter :  
  
No Previews!--------Thanks for all those that reviewed!  
  
Read and REVIEW!  
  
Until next time!  
  
Ookima  
  
PS : Check other stories and review them too ;) 


	8. Acceptance or Denial

Twist of Fate  
  
Chapter 8 : Acceptance or Denial?  
  
Synopsis : Although Naruto's back, they still have to try and keep him that way. In the mean time, while the boy rests and stabilizes, Tsunade and the other adults must now clearly explain and reveal the truth behind Kyubi and Naruto to the genins present, hoping that they will now shun the boy.  
  
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Pairings : I decided there will be no pairings in this small story. BUT I'm thinking of a sequel if the people want one. If that's the case let me know?  
  
Suggestions in pairings are welcomed BUT Don't ask Sakura x Naruto.  
  
The reason is simply, I hate that pink haired brat with a passion! I'll die before I even write one single fic with her paired with Sasuke or Naruto!  
  
With that said, please read on and hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
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Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did.  
  
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JUTSU LIST :  
  
No Jutsus in this chapter.  
  
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JAPANESE WORDS  
  
- baka = idiot -  
  
- dobe = dead last -  
  
- Arigatou = Thank You -  
  
- Urousai = Shut Up -  
  
- Chikushou – Damn it / Damn  
  
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All notes concerning future reviews will be replied at the bottom of the story.  
  
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NOTE : With the new version of editing from ffnet, I can no longer use the stars or many other signs to indicate the change of place, and so I decided to simply place the name of the location in BIG LETTERS and BOLD. So hopefully this will help.  
  
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RECAP  
  
**KONOHA HOSPITAL**  
  
---- Inside room 201 ---  
  
For 10 minutes, Sasuke continuously slapped Naruto and continued to insult the blond shinobi by calling him an idiot and dead-last, but there was still no reaction from his rival, and so Sasuke finally gave out, while the two sennins remained close by.  
  
"The curse mark ..." Shizune pointed to the boy's stomach.  
  
The curse mark faded slowly, but still remained, and so Tsunade and Shizune gave all their strength left to annihilate it.  
  
All eyes were locked on Sasuke, and the blond boy who laid lifelessly in the bed, as Sasuke had lowered his head, in defeat of not being able to bring his rival back, until he felt something warm and wet touch his skin. The dark haired boy raised his head slowly to stared at his arm where he felt the sensation.  
  
"Don't call me that ... You bastard ..." Naruto murmured as his chest began to rise and go back down again.  
  
Sasuke's eyes widened as he noticed the blond had his hand firmly wrapped around his wrist, while Naruto slowly opened his eyes to reveal those bright blue eyes, but filled with pain.  
  
Naruto was back ...  
  
Naruto was breathing ...  
  
Naruto was alive ...  
  
But for how long ...  
  
No one knew ...  
  
END OF RECAP  
  
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The moment Naruto's voice was heard in the ER room, everyone within it, as well as those present on the other side of the glass, were shocked but relieved to hear his voice.  
  
"About time dobe." Sasuke smiled as he looked into those blue eyes.  
  
Naruto wanted nothing more than to reply to him being called once more a dobe, but unfortunately, his body had other things in mind. Naruto quickly shut his eyes and bit his bottom lip due to the great pain he felt throughout his body.  
  
"Tsunade, will he be ok?" Jiraiya dared to ask the question no one else wanted to.  
  
Tsunade took a step closer to the boy, as she placed a hand above his stomach and forehead. She closed her eyes only a few seconds before she removed her hands, which worried those within the room even more.  
  
"He's chakra is almost gone because of the curse ..." Tsunade explained.  
  
"But without chakra he can't ..." A nurse let out, shocked by this revelation.  
  
"Don't you dare say it!" Tsunade hissed. "While I'm still Hokage, he's going to live!"  
  
"Oy ..." Sasuke let out, trying to get Tsunade's attention.  
  
"What!?" She asked, still upset by the nurses implications.  
  
All Sasuke did was raise his hand that held Naruto's hand, and showed to the Hokage, that the boy's wounds began to bleed again, as Sasuke's hand were now tainted with Naruto's blood.  
  
"Shizune!" Tsunade wanted her friend to take care of that while she concentrated on Naruto's last curse mark.  
  
"On it." Shizune quickly replied as she rushed over to Naruto's side, where Sasuke stood.  
  
While Shizune worked on trying her best to heal Naruto's new wound, Tsunade leaned forward, as she gently caressed the boy's cheek, and whispered within his ear.  
  
"Naruto ... I need you to stay awake ..." She whispered.  
  
"But it hurts so much ..." Naruto lowly replied.  
  
"I know, but please bare it..." Tsunade whispered before she pulled back, while she thought of a way to annihilate the remaining curse mark.  
  
"With only half a curse left, why doesn't Kyubi help?" Shizune spoke loud for all ears to hear. After all, the 'fox' was already out of the bag, although the one that had yet been advised of this was the blond shinobi who laid between life and death on the bed.  
  
Naruto's eyes suddenly shot open, totally forgetting the constant pain he felt through out his body as he simply stared at the medic-nin.  
  
"How could you ..?" Naruto kinda asked, as he wasn't aware of that his fellow comrades were already aware of the situation he was in.  
  
Naruto tried to sit up, but failed due to Tsunade's hand pinned the boy back down on the bed, so this one wouldn't cause any more damage.  
  
"Naruto you have to stay calm ..." Tsunade demanded from him, but he simply wouldn't listen.  
  
"Do they know?" Naruto asked, afraid of the answer he would get.  
  
"Well it was hard for them not to, when Kyubi made his appearance ..." Jiraiya joked, but this earned him glares by both Tsunade and Shizune.  
  
"Now they'll hate me ..." Naruto mumbled loud enough, for only the two medic- nins to hear him.  
  
Naruto's worse fear had just been confirmed. He laid still in his bed, not moving, even forgetting the pain he was in earlier. Suddenly, he felt like actually giving up. The fact that now his teammates and friends knew the truth about him, they would all hate him, and he simply wouldn't be able to bare it.  
  
Against Tsunade's demand, Naruto closed his eyes and let the darkness take over. After all, being asleep, he wouldn't feel the physical pain and see the disgusted faces of his former friends, now that they knew he was nothing more than a monter.   
  
"Naruto!" Tsunade shouted his name when she realized that he closed his eyes.  
  
"Hokage-sama, his vitals are low, but their stable. It's a miracle he was able to even regain consciousness after all the wounds he received." The doctor reassured the entire room.  
  
For now, Tsunade was more worried about the last curse mark then the whole thing about Kyubi. And so, she then turned her attention towards the legendary sennin.  
  
"Jiraiya. Take them in a separate room. You and the Jounins will explain clearly everything that concerns Naruto and Kyubi." Tsunade demanded from him.  
  
"The whole truth?" Jiraiya wanted to be sure.  
  
"Hai. They deserve to know it, now more than ever." Tsunade repeated herself. The sennin nodded as he placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and urged him to follow him out of the room.  
  
For once, Sasuke followed quietly out of the room, but made sure to take one last look at his rival before the Sennin dragged him out of there. The nurses and the single doctor monitored his vitals signs, while others made sure to bandage up the poor boy.  
  
---- Outside Room 201 ---  
  
The moment they heard Naruto's voice, they knew Naruto was somehow back. Out of all of them, those most relieved were Iruka and Kakashi, since they were the boy's former and current senseis.  
  
"Is Naruto going to be alright?" Sakura asked, as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.  
  
"The little brat is determined to stay alive, so he should pull through ..." Jiraiya spoke as he joined the group, accompanied by the Uchiha boy.  
  
"Jiraiya! How is he!?" Iruka demanded as he rushed over to face the Sennin.  
  
"I think he's been through the worse part." Jiraiya began to explain but Iruka was being over protective as usual and didn't give him any time to finish.  
  
"You think!?" Iruka repeated those words in anger.  
  
"Look. Tsunade and Shizune cancelled one of the two curses, so there's still one to deal with. Let them take care of it. Naruto couldn't be in better hands then them." Jiraiya commented.  
  
Iruka wanted to ask more questions when Kakashi held the Chuunin back, while Sakura stepped forward, worried for her crush.  
  
"Sasuke-kun? Are you alright?" She asked, her eyes still watery.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sasuke shot back, with his usual tone.  
  
"Because you're hand has blood on it ..." Sakura trailed off.  
  
"It's ... It's Naruto's ..." Sasuke let out, as he found himself staring at his bloodied hand.  
  
"All of you follow me." Jiraiya lost no time as he turned his back to the genins and Jounins and prepared to leave, when one dared to speak up.  
  
"We can't just ..." Sakura started but was rudely interrupted by Shikamaru.  
  
"This has to do with Kyubi and Naruto." It was more an affirmation than a question.  
  
"Hai." Jiraiya clearly stated before he walked at the end of the hall and entered a new room.  
  
The genins all exchanged worried looks, as well as the Jounins, and so, Sasuke was the first to take the initiative and walked down the hall and into the very same room the Sennin entered. The others silently followed his example, one by one, they walked into the room, but made sure to take one last look at Naruto before leaving.  
  
---- Empty Hospital Bedroom ----  
  
One by one they entered the room and noticed how this one was actually empty. The only objects present within it were a table with 4 chairs, along with only one bed, but the room showed that it had not been used for quite a while.  
  
Jiraiya stood by the only window at the other end of the room, while Kakashi made sure to close the door behind the small group, so no one else would hear or come in. Neji, Kiba and Lee sat down in chairs due to their injuries, while Sasuke simply leaned against the wall to support his body weight. The rest of the group remained on their own two feet, the Jounins and the single Chuunin stood behind the genins, while they all faced the legendary Sennin and waited for him to speak.  
  
"I'm sure you all have many questions about what just happened ..." Jiraiya started, but deep down he cursed his former teammate for putting him in such a position. He hated to be in these kinds of situations especially with younger shinobis.  
  
All just stared at the Sennin and waited for him to continue. Most of them wanted to ask things, but didn't dare to even speak, and so Shikamaru decided that since he was after all a Chuunin now, maybe he should speak, although in his mind it was going to be troublesome.  
  
"In other words, you're trying to explain what Kyubi and Naruto have in common." Shikamaru stated, much to the Sennin's relief in a way, but he worried in another.  
  
"It couldn't have been Kyubi Shikamaru! Kyubi was killed 13 years ago by the fourth Hokage!" Sakura reminded the boy, after all, it wasn't the first time Naruto's chakra did something strange.  
  
"The Fourth Hokage wasn't able to kill the nine-tails." Kakashi slipped in a word, seeing how the Sennin might need some help on the matter.  
  
"Nani!?" Half the genins were shocked by the revelation, but then didn't think it was possible either.  
  
"If it wasn't killed than how come it's not on a rampage?" Lee asked, curious to the answer he would obtain.  
  
"Kyubi was more powerful than most demon and we had lost many shinobis at that time. The Fourth Hokage knew that they wouldn't be able to kill it, and so Yondaime found a way for the war to end, but it required a sacrifice." Jiraiya began as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.  
  
"A sacrifice?" Kiba repeated that word, confused to where this led.  
  
"Actually it required two sacrifices." Kakashi corrected the Sennin.  
  
"That night, Yondaime faced the Kyubi and performed a forbidden seal. In other for it to succeed, the user must give his life in return." Jiraiya continued, as he took a deep breath. After all, he was talking about a former student he had.  
  
"So if he died, then the Kyubi died too." Sakura repeated herself.  
  
"Sakura, you missed something." Sasuke let out as he eyed his pink haired teammate.  
  
"He said they were two sacrifices. What was the second?" Shikamaru added with a serious expression.  
  
"Yondaime had to seal the Kyubi within a body. One which wouldn't reject the new chakra, and strenghtened the seal. And perhaps later on, merge with it, to use as it's own." Jiraiya continued as he carefully observed the genins reactions.  
  
"I don't get it ..." Kiba commented as he was more confused than ever, just like Sakura. Lee didn't know what to make of it, while Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru seemed to be able to read between the lines.  
  
"Naruto's birthday ... isn't it the 10th of October?" Neji began as he looked over to Sasuke, and saw that he had the same idea and thought as he did.  
  
"The 10th of October was the day Kyubi was supposed to be killed." Sasuke stated, while Shikamaru took a step forward.  
  
"A new born baby would logically be the best suited to seal the Kyubi within it. After all, it's innocent, and it's chakra patterns have not been totally constructed yet and it would have a greater chance to hold the power within, compared to an adult that has fully grown." Shikamaru explained. "So everything matches together. The second sacrifice was Naruto. The Fourth sealed the Kyubi within him." For those who were confused before, they couldn't help but gasp at how Shikamaru spoke about it without being surprised himself.  
  
"Asuma, your boy is quite a genius." Jiraiya pointed to the newly appointed Chuunin.  
  
Asuma couldn't help but smile at how Shikamaru could simply understand everything when given the right information. After all, the lazy-nin was the best to always read underneath the underneath.   
  
"You mean that Naruto is the Kyubi!?" Sakura gasped. She was on the same team as the demon that caused so much pain to the Village, but yet how come he acted like an idiot instead of a sadistic killer she wondered.  
  
With Sakura's small commented, the Jounins all flinched. After all, Sakura just proven to why they actually kept the secret for so long. No wonder Naruto wanted to keep quiet about this.  
  
"Naruto isn't the Kyubi." Lee started which surprised everyone.  
  
"Lee-san ..." Sakura let out, surprised that Lee contradicted her. "But ..."  
  
"Naruto is Naruto." Lee continued with a smile.  
  
"Lee's right. Kyubi might be sealed in him, but Naruto's still Naruto." Shikamaru backed up Lee and smiled.  
  
"Yeah! Besides Naruto's an idiot. No way in hell a demon that powerful would be such an idiot." Kiba stated with a smile.  
  
The Jounins were relieved that certain genins felt the same way they did, but Kakashi was slightly disappointed at how Sakura jumped to conclusions so fast about her own teammate.  
  
---- Naruto's Bedroom, 201 ----  
  
After a hard 30 minutes, Tsunade and the rest of the staff finally managed to stabilize him properly, as his wounds stopped bleeding as well. Although the boy seemed out of danger, Tsunade and Shizune still worried for the boy.  
  
"What do you wish for us to do now Tsunade-sama?" The doctor asked, unsure if they should leave or if there were still a few things left for them to do.  
  
"Give him a private room and don't worry about expenses. I'll pay for them personally." Tsunade clearly informed them.  
  
"Please keep the oxygen mask on him. He's lungs suffered a lot, so it would be better if he kept it." Shizune added.  
  
The doctor nodded as the nurses prepared the bed and it's occupant to be moved into a sterilized room. Within minutes, all who were present in the room, left, for the exception of Tsunade and Shizune.  
  
"Tsunade, what if he ..." Shizune mumbled, before the Hokage literally interrupted her.  
  
"He will." Tsunade coldly said as she observed the room.  
  
Bloodied bandages were all over the floor, as well as blood stains. It's amazing that despite all that blood loss, he still managed to pull through for now. Tsunade, took one last look before she prepared to leave the room, when Shizune placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"You did what you could ..." Shizune reminded her long time friend.  
  
"I know, but it still wasn't enough ..." Tsunade whispered back, before she headed to the empty room, where the Jounins and genins were.  
  
---- Empty Hospital Bedroom ----  
  
The genins spoke further about Naruto, as they stood behind their idea that Naruto wasn't the Kyubi, while Sakura felt a bit ashamed for the way she acted and spoke about her own teammate.  
  
"Ne Kakashi-sensei ..." Sakura started as she turned around to face her teacher.  
  
"Hai?" Kakashi let out with a playful tone.  
  
"Is that why the adults treat him that way?" Sakura asked, as she remembered how her own mother wanted her to stay away from the boy when she was a child.  
  
"Now that you mention it, my parents didn't even want me to approach him." Kiba joined the conversation.  
  
"Care to explain or should I?" Jiraiya asked the gray haired Jounin, while this one sighed.  
  
"Explain what? Is there something else about Naruto that we don't' know?" Sakura asked, worried that her fears might come true.  
  
"Iie." Jiraiya quickly shut the young girl up so he could continue. "When the Fourth sealed Kyubi within Naruto, he truthfully believed that the Villagers would see Naruto as a hero..." The Senning started but soon noticed how Shikamaru frowned and wanted to speak.  
  
"By the cold glares he gets, I deduct that they don't see him that way." Shikamaru commented.  
  
"Hai. When the adults see Naruto, all they can see is Kyubi, the nine tails demon fox who murdered many of their friends, family and lovers." Jiraiya began.  
  
"If they all knew why weren't we told!?" Kiba was furious that they weren't informed of such a matter.  
  
"For his sake. Withou the young shinobis you age, Naruto still had a chance to at least have a friend that would acknowledge his existence. " Gai answered.  
  
"Gai-sensei? What do you mean?" Lee asked as he turned his head to face his favorite teacher.  
  
"It didn't take long for the Villagers to blame Naruto for Yondaime's death." Kakashi started, while the Sennin took it upon his shoulder to continue. After all, it was normal that they had so many questions.  
  
The sennin sighed before he began his explanation that would answer most of their questions, and perhaps even understand better why he acted the way he did.  
  
Although the explanation was short, the genins all understood that the reason they had been kept from something that big, was indeed for Naruto's sake. After all, they most likely would have turned out just like their parents, hating him before they even came to knew him as they did right now.  
  
"We wouldn't have treated him like our parents did if we would have known!" Sakura let out, angered by how they underestimated people her age.  
  
"Really?" Neji let out as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, as though disappointed to how the female reacted. "Then does that explain how you quickly jumped to conclusions only minutes ago when you learned that the Kyubi was sealed within him?" Sakura stayed silent, as she knew how Neji could react coldly, after all they all had a chance to know that during the Chuunin exam.

"Think about it Sakura. If you came to know that he was the Kyubi, and then your parents simply told you that Naruto's the Kyubi and he's the reason your grand parents died, how would you had treated him?" Sasuke clearly stated, as he looked straight into her eyes, and noticed that now she understood what the Sennin meant.  
  
"I ... I'm sorry, I never thought of it that way ..." Sakura apologize, feeling guilty about her recent comments.  
  
"One question remains." Neji opened his eyes and stared at the Sennin, a stare that even the Sennin felt uneasy, being the target of it.  
  
"And that would be?" Jiraiya spoke with confidence.  
  
"Although the adults warned us to stay away from Naruto, why didn't any of them even dare to tell us about the Kyubi?" Neji asked, curious to what could stop them from spilling out the truth, or the twisted truth they saw in it.  
  
"Yeah? Why didn't they ever spilled it out?" Kiba added.  
  
"Because any who ever dared to speak about Kyubi and Naruto, would be severely punished by Hokage himself. Thus, the Villagers never dared to go up against Hokage himself." Jiraiya smiled at the old memory, of how serious Hokage was that day when he announced it.  
  
"Oh ..." Kiba let out, surprised by the answer he just got, while Neji couldn't help but smile. That would indeed be like Hokage to install such a rule.  
  
The room once more filled with silence, until they heard a small click, as well as Asuma's body who was forced to take a step forward. The door slowly opened and it revealed Tsunade, soon followed by her close friend, Shizune. The moment the door closed, all 4 Jounins stepped aside, to make way for the Hokage, while Tsunade felt that all eyes rested on her.  
  
"How's dobe?" Sasuke dared to be the first to ask, knowing that the others wouldn't, due to the tension in the room, as well as the new information that sank into their brains.  
  
"I did what I could, but it wasn't enough ..." Tsunade started with a sad tone.  
  
"Oy, Naruto's not dead again is he?" Kiba jumped out of his seat, when the Hokage didn't reply.  
  
With Tsunade that stood in the middle of the room, silent, the same thoguht crossed everyone's mind, and immediately they began to worry.  
  
"Please answer." Lee politely asked.  
  
"Naruto just slipped into a state of coma." Tsunade clearly stated.TBC?============================================================================ ======================ARGH! First I torture him, then I kill him and now I put him into a coma state! Man I'm mean, but hell I can't help it! I need another twist, but no worries, he's not going to die in the next chapter. Plus all explanations will continue in the next chapter.  
  
27 Reviews! I'm happy that so many enjoy the story, and so I hope you enjoyed this chapter although there wasn't much action in it, and mostly explained to the other genins about the Kyubi and Naruto, as well as his condition. I tried my best to not making sound lame or anything, but in my opinion I kinda failed,, but out of all versions I wrote, this one was the best out of them. . Let me know what you thought ne?  
  
**Chapter Length : 4700 words   
**  
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REVIEWS  
  
Babowonsuni : Well the slapping part I kinda figured it would be how Sasuke would react. Although they are rivals, deep down they highly respect each other, so there you have it.  
  
Dragon89 : a NaruSaku fic!? Obviously you aren't aware of how much I hate that pink haired girl lol. I mostly write yaoi fics, and those that aren't, well they don't have pairings. I'll probably be six feet underground before I write a fic on that coupling, so sorry to disappoint you, but there's no way I'll ever write on that couple. BUT, in the sequel I intend to show that Sakura has a thing for Naruto, but this one won't return her exact feeling, that's what I'm going for so far.  
  
Max Knight : I'm glad you enjoy this fic so far, and happy that you expected it without expecting it. Does that make any sense? Anyway, I just wanted one twisted way but still realistic to bring Naruto back, although the rest of the story I'm still unsure of how it will develop as well as the sequel, that some might not like.  
  
EmeraldBlossom : I'm the best! ( blushes ) I feel so much good when I'm told that. It's true that I've gotten better since the first fic I wrote, and hopefully I'll get even better. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I am behind schedule at school, and since summer's coming, I'm working a lot. But rest assured, no matter how long it takes, I will continue and finish ALL my fics!  
  
Ookami Kage : I'm glad you enjoy reading my fics!  
  
Licht Sieger : The bond between Kyubi and Naruto has always been odd, but that's why I love it. As for Sasuke's reaction, when you think of it, it could be possible. Indeed, I read chapter 218 and 219. I can't wait for more of the story, but I must say Naruto must succeed into bringing Sasuke back, because in my opinion if Sasuke leaves, the show kinda dies there, because the whole Naruto thing revolves around having his rivalry with Sasuke. My opinion, personally if he goes to the other side, I'll most likely lose interest in the show, which would really suck.  
  
Renn : Yep, I'll write a one shot or something on ShikaKiba when I have some time. I even have another reviewer that wants me to write a small story on a NaruKiba coupling. So with two additional fics to write, plus those ongoing, and then all the rest that are still within my head, I can't believe how much work I have to do! But I do hope you'll enjoy it once it's out.  
  
Silvermist 91 : I laughed at that small comment about Sauske whacking Naruto's face. Glad you enjoyed it and hope to not disappoint you.  
  
Elie-3173 / Gopu / insanechildfanfci : Thanks for reviewing it means a lot to me!  
  
Arbil : I'm glad you totally enjoyed that chapter, since it was very hard for me to write and know when the heck to cut it off lol. With that said, hope this chapter wasn't too boring, but the story will come soon to and end, either in the next chapter or once I reach Chapter 10. then I'll see if there's a sequel or not.  
  
Rubymoon17 : I update as I can! I swear, it's not because I'm lazy or anything, but because of work and school! If I didn't work I wouldn't be able to buy my anime and manga for my collection! ( I'm a big collector ... ) So I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.  
  
Nikkler : Everyone's so happy he came back, well didn't have a choice, I got enough death threats when I kinda kill off Naruto, so it's best to let him live, besides if I killed him, there wouldn't be a chance for a sequel ne?  
  
Peter Kim : I'm indeed considering a sequel, because I still have Orochimaru and Kabuto to deal with, but also because the plot line will change, and there's most likely to be pairings. You were always the best to et into my little head and discover things.  
  
Element4life : Well this chapter focused exactly on what you spoke of. That also explains why it's shorter and all, but I hope this was to your satisfaction.  
  
Curlsofserenity : I'm very happy you enjoyed this fic so far, and hopefully it will continue on that way.  
  
Silserbluenchantress : Yeah, well honestly, even if Kyubi went on a rampage to kill, he could conquer the world but would be bored after a while, that's why through Naruto, he continues to be entertained to how stupid but yet determined the boy is .  
  
Siobhn01 : Glad you enjoyed their reaction towards Kyubi and Naruto. Thanks for reviewing!!  
  
Red Rose : Yep! As you read in this chapter, Tsunade and the Jounins had no other choice but to explain of why the Kyubi appeared and it's true connection to Naruto. So I hope this was an ok chapter!  
  
Chibi Chidori16 : Glad I have a new reviewer who likes all my stories so far! Thanks!  
  
Jade Tatsu : I know I have some grammar problems and mistakes but I just you dind't read that I'm actually French. I live in Quebec Canada and my main language and all is French, although I've been told my English is sometimes better than those that even speak the language, but I'm trying my best to correct that. As for the mistake of the room, I'm very sorry for that one, My head must have been elsewhere. With that, I'm glad you enjoy this fic so far.  
  
Moonlight2 : Glad you enjoy it that much, although I don't see your name come up in my other fics though. Oh well, thanks again for taking time to review!  
  
P00t : Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! I'll update as soon as I can.  
  
Shadow Dragon : Well the story is called Twist of Fate lol. So the reason I named it that was because of the many twists in it from the beginning to the end. As for the paring NaruSaku in a possible sequel, NO! I've explained a thousant times and if you didn't read any of my shonen-ai fics, then you might have missed how much I despise that pink haired brat! So sorry to disappoint you, but I'll never write a story on that pairing unless it means much pain to come for Sakura in it.  
  
Stoictimer : I don't know yet, I'm still debating on the manner of him living or dying lol. Very happy to know you enjoyed how Kyubi kinda likes Naruto for his stupidity and so on.  
  
Ryouseiteki : Glad you liked that slapping Naruto part lol. I indeed got many death threats when I killed off Naruto temporarily, so glad you decided to read this chapter to before passing judgment on my soul. I'm glad to have a new fan of my stories, one that supports me and really gives me long reviews. They really help, as for the sequel, you're the first to actually ask me to make it a yaoi pairing, I'll seriously think about it! And for you to know, I have this story stuck in my head on that paring too and I hope that when I get time, to actually be able to write it down for you reviewers to read and review. Anyway, glad you enjoy it and thanks for the support.  
  
--------Next Chapter :  
  
Naruto's in a coma but why? Tsunade explains Naruto's condition, while somewhere, Orochimaru learns that the Kyubi brat is still live, but for how long? That's for either Naruto or Orochimaru to decide. We also get a few flashbacks on how Naruto affected certain shinobis lives.   
  
--------Thanks for all those that reviewed!Read and REVIEW!Until next time!OokimaPS : Check other stories and review them too ;) 


	9. Face Your Fears

Author's Notes:

I know I know. I haven't updated this damn fic for like 7 months. So sue me! I had a busy life and my now, ex lover, dumped me and made my life a living hell, he stalked me and so on, but now I finally got off my lazy ass, and with Kyuubi-kun's help, I decided to start writing again.

_Kyuubi-kun: Aww, I feel special. I'm an inspiration! Or maybe I'm just a nag. Either way, I poke people to update soon! Mwa haa haa!_

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Twist of Fate

**Synopsis :** Naruto's in a coma but why? Tsunade explains Naruto's condition, while somewhere, Orochimaru learns that the Kyubi brat is still alive, but for how long?

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**Pairings :** No Pairings in this story. BUT there will be a sequel, since so many of you wanted one, thus it will have pairings. Suggestions are welcomed.

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_Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did._

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**JUTSU LIST :**

No Jutsus in this chapter.

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JAPANESE WORDS

- baka idiot -

- dobe dead last -

- Arigatou Thank You -

- 'Kuso Damn it -

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"Speech" When characters are speaking

_'Thoughts' When characters are thinking_

**Change of PLACES will be in bold letters**

-Example- This means a change of area within the same place, location.

* * *

**Previously …**

The Genins were told the biggest secret Uzumaki held. Much to the Sennin and the few Jounins present, most student saw Naruto as Naruto and not as the Kyubi no Kitsune. By the time this information started to sink in, Tsunade and Shizune enter the room, informing them of Naruto's current condition.

Uzumaki Naruto slipped into a coma.

* * *

Chapter 9 : Face Your Fears

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Tsunade made it clear to the hospital staff, that no one was to know about Naruto's current state, but despite her direct orders, the information leaked, alerting the villagers that the vessel of the demon Kyubi, was in a coma. But what pleased them even more, was that he might never wake up due to the trauma his body received.

Knowing this angered Tsunade more than anything else that was happening currently. Hadn't they realized that if it wasn't for that boy, they would have lost their precious Uchiha Sasuke, as well as the team sent to retrieve the rogue genin?

Of course they didn't. They would never look at Naruto as something human, as a someone. To them, he would always be a demon.

As the Hokage, she had to cover the truth up to protect the Village. If word came out that the Hokage herself, sent a bunch of genins, with a newly promoted Chuunin on a suicide mission, since they were low on shinobis, the other countries, especially enemies, would take this opportunity and attack.

Desired or not, Konoha was _vulnerable_.

As if she didn't have enough already to deal with. That damn pervert Jiraiya was no where to be found. Just like him to disappear when he's actually needed.

Aside from that shinobi missing, now she had to deal with Sasuke. Unfortunately, she lacked the time to properly look over the case, since other things were more pressing than this …

Thankfully, Kakashi was more than happy to watch over his student, thus he offered to be his "somewhat guardian." Of course the young Uchiha wasn't too happy about it, but by the glare she gave him, he understood she could've done much worse for his betrayal of the Leaf.

Once that was made clear, Tsunade forbade any genins, to speak to any other shinobi, with the exception of those currently present at that time, to speak of what truly happened about Sasuke's betrayal and finding out Kyubi's sealed within Naruto.

Soon enough, they were all dismissed.

Tsunade sighed, thinking back to that day, it always reminder her of how she lost her little brother and lover.

Although Naruto was technically still alive and breathing, his vitals and condition never changed, which worried her even more.

A week passed, and Naruto's condition didn't get any better, on the contrary, it seemed to only get worse.

* * *

**Konoha's Hospital**

**- Naruto's Room -**

Like he did every morning, Umino Iruka made sure to drop by to have a little chat with his former student. He knew more than anyone else about the boy's condition, but that never stopped him once, from thinking that he would one day wake up from his eternal sleep.

He still had hope.

Hope that the boy would one day wake up. Iruka maintained hope that the boy would laugh once he woke, telling them all about his extraordinary bravery and strength, then going on to tell about he would be the best Hokage in history.

Stepping into the room, he pulled out his usual chair, bringing it as close as possible to where the boy's body rested.

"Naruto," Iruka softly spoke the name of his student, gently brushing those long blond bangs to the side of his face.

He glanced over to the machines on the other side of the bed. One to monitor his heart, another, making sure he had all the oxygen he needed to help his recovery.

How he hated to hear those sounds. Always the same sound, but that did kind of prove that his student was still alive right?

Without even noticing it, Iruka found himself deep within his own depressing thoughts, but quickly snapped out of them, upon hearing a soft click behind him.

"I can't believe I actually have to check up on that… that thing …," a voice grumbled under their breath. Only with his heightened shinobi senses was Iruka able to hear what had been said. The nurse entered the room, accompanied by a doctor, but both were unaware of the Chuunin's presence within it.

Iruka quickly stood up on his own two feet, glaring at the door, while the second person, who seemed to be the doctor, walked inside.

"Don't blame me. It was the Hokage's orders to keep **_it _**alive, so my hands are tied," the doctor explained with a very hateful tone. Anyone with half a brain could see that these people were the kind that really despised Naruto and took him as the Kyubi and not a normal boy.

With the door wide open, the nurse quickly stopped, looking in front of her.

There stood a _very_ angry Iruka.

"Umino-san? What brings you to our hospital?" The doctor asked, keeping his cool.

"I actually came to check up on my student." Iruka coldly answered. Oh, how he hated this particular type of villagers. They were the worse when it came _'let's mentally torture the demon.'_ He even wondered if they ever took their torture up to the next level …

"You are aware that visiting hours only start at 9 A.M," the doctor reminded the Chuunin. It wasn't as though the doctor really cared that Iruka had come before visiting hours. What pissed him off the more, was someone actually visiting that … that disgusting _monster_.

"Hai, but Tsu …" Before Iruka could even finish his sentence, the doctor quickly interrupted him.

"Then come back during visiting hours," the doctor coldly replied. In his mind, anyone who befriended or cared about the boy were just as bad as the brat himself.

Iruka had always been very polite to others, even to those he didn't like all that much, but now, his patience was wearing quite thin.

"Now please leave. I need to check on him to see if _it's_ still breathing." The doctor stated, making his way towards the single bed. The nurse trailed behind him, both completely ignoring the Chuunin present.

Iruka was a patient man. Being a teacher to a bunch of kids, forces you to develop such a quality. However, enough is _enough_.

Iruka moved, but not towards the door like the good doctor had ordered him. No. Instead, the shinobi walked the opposite way, where his former student laid.

"If you do not obey me, I will have you thrown in jail for the rest of the week." The doctor threatened the young man. Unfortunately for him, his words fell to deaf ears.

"Now you listen to me!" Iruka raised his voice. Nobody _liked _it when Iruka raised his voice, for very good reasons. His voice changed when he raised it, becoming one that was cold and frightening. "I have special permission from the Hokage herself. If you have any problems with that, take it up with her! And be sure that I'll inform her of your misconduct to follow the Third's rules as well. Now get out!" the chuunin yelled at the top of his lungs, pointing out the good old door to both medical personnel.

"This isn't over yet." the doctor growled, glaring at the young man before him. His words were not heeded, especially not against a teacher of elementary shinobi.

"Just get out." Iruka repeated himself. The tone of his voice implied that he would not do so again.

Both the doctor and the nurse were quite furious that someone stood up for that – that _thing_ in there. They quickly left the room, but the Chuunin could be sure that he would fill out a complaint. Surely the Hokage wouldn't believe something this stupid. At least, that was what they thought. They believed that the Hokage would have enough dignity not to stoop to aid the Kyuubi brat. She was their Hokage, after all.

Iruka glanced towards the door, making sure that the two medical personnel were gone for good. Well, at least for an hour or so, the more logical part of his brain corrected him.

He closed his eyes and sighed, calming his rage.

It had been a long time since he was this angry at others. Even when he yelled at Naruto or the kids in his class, he wasn't truly angry. He was glad that those two left, though. He didn't know what he might have done if they tried their luck and stayed. Shaking his head, he looked up to see the time.

"Well I suppose I can be a little late this morning …" He told himself. After all, most of the students would only arrive half an hour later then the usual time. At least he could stay with Naruto a bit longer.

He walked closer to the bed, looking down on that sleepy face. As stupid as it sounded, Naruto looked as though he was finally at peace this way.

"Just by hearing those two … I wonder if what Tsunade-sama said about your condition, could be true …" Iruka let out in sadly. Seeing the boy he considered like a little brother, he wondered, for the first time, if he was ever going to wake up. The boy's face gave off no answered to his doubts, but neither did it help fuel his hopes. The boy was blank, and that pained Iruka.

It was hard to admit, but he sure missed the old days when Naruto came running to him, asking to be treated to ramen at Ichiraku. That or when the boy tackled him to the ground whenever he saw him. Or when he finally graduated the Academy, the look of surprise mixed with happiness that came to those cerulean blue eyes. Or when Naruto showed up at class the next morning, proudly displaying his Konoha ninja headband. There were several times that Iruka had been proud of Naruto, had loved him as a son or a brother.

Thinking back at those moments, those happy times that he had spent with Naruto, Iruka fervently hoped that they would not be the last.

* * *

**Sasuke's House **

**- Bedroom -**

Every morning was the same since his return to Konohagakure. The young prodigy woke up at the same time as the sun rose itself, replacing the darkness by light, just as he replaced the shadows of dreams with the harsh brilliance of reality. He rubbed his eyes, the sudden light that illuminated the entire room making him feel groggy.

"Awake I presume?" came the soft voice near his bedroom door.

It was always the same since that day. The same voice that greeted the young boy every morning. The same question always asked. Kakashi was the first one to wake up as usual, waiting until the young Uchiha did as well.

"Hn," came Sasuke's usual reply, not daring to look in his sensei's visible eye. Ever since his 'little escapade,' he never found courage to look into that eye, knowing that he would see how disappointed his teacher was in him. After all, Kakashi had warned him about going down that path…

"We're doing something different this morning." Kakashi wasted no time in telling the young boy.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. This would be different – a step out of the normal routine. He wondered what it could possibly be. After all, he was mostly imprisoned in his damn house, with that pervert Kakashi, making sure to talk some more sense into him.

"What for?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of his normal stoic mood. He hated being cooped up, but it was obvious that this was the better punishment to live through.

"I'll inform you once you're ready." With that said, Kakashi left the bedroom, giving his young student the privacy he required.

The young Uchiha sighed. He hated when his sensei acted like this, but who could blame the Jounin? He did turn his back on Konoha, going to one of the most dangerous shinobi in the world for power, for the promise of strength. He had turned his back on Sakura, on Kakashi, on all the rookie genin and every shinobi that had ever taught him something for an empty promise.

He had turned away from his life, his team… his Naruto…

Sasuke found himself quite lucky that the newly appointed Hokage had sent a team after him. God knows what would have happened if he ended up in Orochimaru's hands.

The Uchiha was thankful, for once. If it hadn't been for Naruto (that loud mouthed shinobi, and the way he could irritate people to the point where they lost sight of their objectives), he would be something along the lines of Orochimaru's bitch.

Uzumaki Naruto. The dobe.

If it wasn't for that very person - the person who he came to respect and consider a close friend, as hard as he tried to deny it – he wouldn't be here. He would merely be a puppet, the strings attached to his limbs being maneuvered by Orochimaru.

To think that dobe would actually one day save his sorry ass from making a terrible mistake … How funny that seemed.

His anger towards Itachi had clouded his judgment, but Orochimaru's curse sure didn't help him either.

Without even realizing it, he found himself dressed up in his latest clothes. Black pants and a shirt. He proceeded into wrapping new bandages around each wrists, not really thinking about what he was doing. Once the arm guards were put on correctly, the boy raised his head to look at the wall before him.

Again, he found himself thinking about his former teammate.

Why? He really didn't know. Or perhaps he simply didn't want to admit to himself, that not having Naruto around, made him feel lonelier than ever …

And if what the Hokage said about that idiot was true … he might never be able to see that idiot smile ever again.

The worst part was – there was no one to blame for that but himself.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

**Konoha Hospital**

**- Empty Room -**

The genins had just been told the deepest secret of Uzumaki Naruto. Each of them thought carefully about how this might change their separate relationships with the bright boy. However, this new information shed new light on so many things around their little blonde friend that they had always been confused about.

Only Sakura seemed to be more phased out than the others. After all, she was processing this information that told her that her own teammate, the number one loudmouth and prankster of Konohagakure, was the host of the terrifying demon fox, the Kyubi no Kitsune.

Unfortunately for these genin, they only had a few minutes to actually process this new information. The Hokage herself, as well as her right-hand assistance Shizune, joined them.

"How's dobe?" Sasuke dared to be the first to ask, knowing that the others wouldn't. He was bolder than his peers. This had been proven to all that knew of his adventure when Sasuke had journeyed with the thoughts of joining Orochimaru.

"I did what I could, but it wasn't enough …" Tsunade answered, staring right back at the small group. They could see the pain in her bright eyes. She wasn't going to lie to the group. She knew that in order to allow them to accept the information she bore, she needed to be entirely truthful.

"Oy, Naruto's not dead again is he?" Kiba nearly jumped out of his seat, but his wounds prevented him from doing so. However, even with the wounds, his glare and tone demanded an answer.

Tsunade stared back at them, sadness written all over her face, worrying the genins and the adults even more.

The silence was just too much to take for a certain black haired shinobi.

Lee stepped forward.

"Please answer." Lee politely asked of his leader.

"Naruto just slipped into a state of coma." Tsunade clearly stated, her voice telling them that she would not say it twice.

That statement alone, hit them like a thousand bricks.

First, they exhaled relieved that their friend and teammate wasn't dead, but him being in a coma wasn't good news either.

'_Naruto's in a coma..? How?_' Kiba really couldn't believe his own ears.

"How … how can he …" Sakura tried hard to finish her sentences, but failed. With all that had been happening, thinking straight was a bit hard under these circumstances.

"Tsunade-sama and I managed to remove the curse that the traitor, Kabuto placed on Naruto-kun, but there were a few … complications …" Shizune tried her best to make it sound less bad than it sounded. It didn't work.

"Complications?" Neji repeated, seeing how all shinobi turning their attention towards the Fifth Hokage and her assistant.

"Hai," Tsunade answered, brushing her long pigtails behind.

"Naruto only slipped into a coma after the final curse mark was removed," Tsunade began, ignoring the stares she got from the teenagers.

"What are you saying?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. He really didn't know where this was going, but wherever this was going, it wouldn't have a happy ending..

"Although the curse has been removed, there's a fifty percent chance that it permanently affected his chakra system, which would explain why he's in a coma," Tsunade clearly explained in terms that everyone understood.

"But he'll wake up?" Neji questioned in his usual cool voice.

"If his chakra system is too 'damaged', his condition will only deteriorate. Even with Kyubi healing him, it won't be enough to correct the damage." Tsunade spoke softly, carefully observing each and every shinobi present in the room.

"What do you mean by …" Sakura was about ask but Neji clarified the meaning behind the words of their leader.

"He'll die, right?" It wasn't a question, but more of an affirmation of the Hokage's words.

All stared at Neji, surprised at how bluntly, and uncaring he seemed when he spoke those words. The truth was, he just hated when people didn't admit things openly and clearly. It was a trait that could be affiliated with Naruto's attitude towards the same thing.

"Hai," Tsunade softly spoke. Just saying that simple word made the entire room fall into complete silence. This tension was only broken only by the horrified gasps that came from all the occupants who didn't know what she was inferring.

"So either way, he's still going to die..?" Sakura couldn't believe her ears. Sure she found that blond boy annoying and all, but even _he_ didn't deserve such a cruel fate. To be stuck in his head until Death claimed him – no one deserved that kind of suffereing.

Sakura was on the verge of crying again. Much to everyone's surprise, Shikamaru, stepped before the entire group and faced the Hokage.

"Although this is quite troublesome, you people really should pay more attention to the Hokage's words," he bluntly stated to the group, looking bored as usual.

"Shikamaru! This isn't the time for you to act like a lazy shinobi! Naruto's going to die!" Sakura snapped at the boy, tears streaming down her face. She was angry at how that lazy boy seemed unaffected by the news. Surely he understood how devastating this news was. His childhood friend was going to _die._

"Sakura." A familiar voice called out her name. She quickly turned around and noticed it was indeed Uchiha Sasuke speaking to her, in a rather cold tone. She nearly had a usual fantasy about him when he ordered, "Shut up and listen" before glancing back at Shikamaru.

Sasuke easily saw right through the newly promoted Chuunin. Shikamaru picked up something, something that most of them weren't able to process and analyze due to their emotions. He wanted to know what Shikamaru knew. Any hope that his rival – no, his friend would be okay, he wanted to hear.

"Hokage-sama, you only said there was a fifty percent chance that he would die. What about the other fifty percent you mentioned?" Shikamaru asked, locking eyes with the blond adult.

Tsunade stared back at the boy. A bit surprised at how blunt the young shinobi could be.

"I warned you, didn't I?" Asuma told here, smirking as though he had just won a lucky gamble.

Although his eyes were closed, he could feel the intensity of the glare that the Hokage sent his way.

"The adults already hated Naruto, mistreating him in many ways. The only thing he had going for him, was the fact that the younger generation wasn't aware of him being the vessel to the Kyubi," Tsunade explained as clearly as she could. "And now his worst fear has happened."

The boy's emotions were a puzzle. Sometimes, Tsunade wondered if even he could truly explain how he felt about the burden that had been placed upon his shoulders when he was born. She wondered that, if asked, Naruto would be able to give a clear response about how he accepted the Kyubi no Kitsune in his stomach. Then again, knowing Naruto, he wouldn't give an answer – he would just smile at them.

"He knows that we now know about him being Kyubi." Shikamaru added, in a rather low voice.

"His world just came crashing down on him," Lee whispered softly, which surprised quite a few. After all, Lee's dreams were crushed for quite some time after his harsh battle with Gaara of the Sand. If it hadn't been for the Fifth Hokage, his dream of becoming a great ninja would have been shattered for good. No one else would have been able to heal him from his injuries.

"Poor Naruto …" Kiba pitied the boy with good reason. To always be hated, but to also live constantly in a lie. The thing that must have been horrible was lying to his friends all the time. The smiling idiot never really had anyone he could trust to see him as a human. He never had anyone to confide in..

"Are you saying that he's willingly staying in a coma because of this?" Neji asked, concerned for the boy who had freed him from his invisible cage.

"That is the other possibility." Tsunade replied, rubbing her temple. All this talking was giving her a massive headache.

Silence consumed the room once more.

Now they all knew about Naruto's condition. Worse than that – they all knew Naruto's silent wish.

"Unfortunately…" Tsunade broke the silence. "I have other things to attend to. Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke and Umino Iruka, stay here. We have a few things to straighten out. As for the rest of you, you're all dismissed," Tsunade told her subordinates. Just by her voice, she was definitely not pleased with the actions that the last Uchiha did.

All exchanged worried looks, not really wanting to leave. However, some were in need of many days of rest before they would even start to become their old selves one more. Today being the exception, of course.

"Tsunade-sama ..?" Lee dared to speak out.

"What is it?" she asked tersely. Lee could feel that her patience was wearing thin.

"Would it be ok, if I could go visit him a bit later?" the boy wanted to know. He was a bit nervous of the answer he would get.

Her features softened a little at the question. It was nice that someone wanted to visit him, despite what they all just learned. It showed that Naruto was truly accepted by his peers.

"Feel free to visit him at any time you wish," she answered in a soft voice. She looked around at all of the curious faces that wanted to know the answer to the question. Smiling slowly at this, she continued, "Any of you. I'm sure that this will help him get through this."

"Roger!" Lee raised his hand, to salute their Hokage. He was very happy that he could see Naruto. Perhaps he could even help him come back to the living world, if it was indeed the second case scenario that Tsunade had previously outlined.

Gai was proud of his student – more so than he had ever been before. Lee would always think about the well-being of others before the thought of his own ever crossed his mind. It was just another trait that showed how kind the boy really was.

The others nodded, before going back to their own hospital room, in order to receive the proper care they needed.

Shikamaru took one last glance to the room, before he walked out, soon followed by his former teacher, Asuma.

"I'll look over your student until you're finished," Asuma reassured Kakashi. They all knew how much Sakura only wanted to stay behind, if only to be with Sasuke. After all, she had finally told him how she felt towards him. It didn't matter if he didn't feel the same. He needed someone there for him right now, right?

"Thanks," was the only word Kakashi spoke, his eyes never leaving the young student that stood before him.

Once the door closed, only five people remained within the room: Kakashi, Iruka, Sasuke, Tsunade and Shizune.

"Iruka, Naruto always spoke about you, so feel free to visit him at any time. I'll alert the doctors and nurses to let you through." Tsunade knew that the young Chuunin always treated Naruto like his little brother, even sometimes, like he was his son. She admired him for that.

"I really thank you, Hokage-sama." Iruka first wondered why she asked him to stay, but either way, he would have asked her for that 'special permission'. It was easier now that he didn't have to deal with actually approaching her.

"I'm sure you wish to see him as we speak. You can go Iruka. I'll be over there shortly, once I've dealt with another problem." Tsunade glared over to Sasuke.

Knowing too well at who she was glaring at, Iruka realized that it was best if he left. He had the feeling that this was one discussion that wasn't something that he wanted to listen in on.

"Hai," Iruka let out, showing his respect towards her before hastily leaving the room.

Now with him gone, Tsunade didn't need to hold back her anger anymore. Kakashi could guess, that this was going to be a painful conversation. He wondered if it was right for him to be here. Looking at Tsunade, he figured that it was for the best that he stayed. If looks could kill, he would already be arranging the funeral of one Uchiha Sasuke.

As he predicted, Tsunade wasted no time go straight to the point.

"You idiot! Do you know all the trouble you've caused?" Tsunade snapped at the boy. Her golden gaze rounding angrily on the boy.

Sasuke half expected that the Hokage would be pissed, but he had never expected what she did next.

"Hokage-sama!" Kakashi barely had time to shout her name, too stunned by her next action to really catch himself well..

Tsunade grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his shirt. Despite the fact that the boy was still wounded and feeling the after effects of the curse seal on his neck, she picked up the boy. Slamming him against the wall, the Hokage made sure that his feet never touched the ground.

Sasuke, at first startled by this woman's action, soon regained his bearings. He glowered at her, quickly wrapping his hands around her wrist, but she proved too strong for him, and his weak struggles were getting him nowhere.

Dark gold eyes glared right back into those glowing red ones.

"What the hell were you thinking, boy?" She shouted, clearly showing the anger she had suppressed for the sake of the other shinobi.

Kakashi wanted more than anything to interfere, but the moment he even took a step closer, she gave her nastiest and coldest glare that he had ever seen. It paralyzed him, keeping him where he was for the moment.

"Do you even realize what you've done?" she continued, her voice rising with every word she spoke. "Your lust for power in order to get revenge for your clan has only blinded you, reacting without once thinking of the consequences of your actions on both yourself and this Village." Her grip slowly loosened around his pale neck, enough to let him speak After all, she was Hokage – she had to listen to her subordinates' side of an argument.

"So?" the Uchiha scoffed. Even under such a situation, Sasuke wasn't one to let his cold exterior break before others. But the way he answered her, left both Kakashi and Tsunade wonder if he even cared at all for all the trouble he caused.

Tsunade was somewhat shocked by his answer, but she knew that loosing it wouldn't help either. She was letting her own emotions taking over at this very moment. That was unprofessional. It didn't matter that this boy was responsible for the condition of her "little brother." He didn't put Naruto in the blonde's current condition, he was just the reason behind all of it.

She released her grip on him, but not before giving him one last slam against the wall, making sure this one would struggle to only stand.

She was happy to observe that she accomplished her goal.

If it wasn't for the wall behind him, his ass would be sitting on the cold floor right now. His legs slightly trembled, while his back and his free hand rested against the wall, maintained his balance, as well as supporting his body weight.

A few minutes passed, before anyone dared to even make a sound. To this point, Tsunade knew that whatever words came out of her mouth, the Uchiha would pay no attention to her. She wracked her brain. She had to get this boy to listen to her. A small smile flitted across her face. She might as well hit his weak point – it would be the only way that he would listen to her.

"Tell me brat, do you not realize that by going to Orochimaru, you've only proven to us all, Itachi more than anyone, how weak you truly were?" she growled. She watched him closely. It was obvious she had caught Sasuke's attention.

"Nani?" Clearly, Sasuke never expected such a remark, escaping the Hokage's lips.

"I've heard how much you despise your brother for what he did, to test his skills and so on. It's quite funny actually. You claim to despise him with every fiber of your very being, but in reality, you're truly beginning to turn just like that traitor, Uchiha Itachi, turned out to be in the end," she finished. She knew that would strike a nerve, but for anyone that examined the situation and recent events, the boy's actions were slowly leading down the same path that Itachi once walked.

"I'm nothing like that bastard!" Sasuke yelled out, summoning his last strength to his sore limbs. He launched himself off the wall, ready to attack Tsunade, without once thinking of the consequences.

Unfortunately for him, Tsunade neither pitied nor cared about the condition of people that were being so easily manipulated by evil forces.

She quickly dodged the attack, but in return, landed a hard one into the boy's stomach. With her strength, it was to no one's surprise that Sasuke's body tumbled backwards, hitting the hard wall that he had sprinted off only seconds before.

There laid Uchiha Sasuke, unable to even stand on his own two feet, but that didn't stop him from glaring at the woman who had just insulted him.

"Kakashi. Officially, I have no time to deal with him right now," she bluntly told him. "Until I have some free time, you're his full time, appointed guardian. If he tries anything, make sure he regrets it." Although it was an order, to Kakashi and Sasuke, it was clearly a threat, one to not take too lightly. With that said, she left the two alone.

Sasuke continued to glare as the woman left the room, while Kakashi simply stared at her retreating back. A shinobi was trained to be able to read underneath the underneath. Tsunade had just informed him that if Sasuke pulled a stunt like that again, she was giving him permission to kill the boy. The thought of what she meant, made him shiver. He had never seen the Hokage become _this_ angry and to be at the end of that anger was definitely not good.

"Sasuke. Time for us to have a little talk," Kakashi finally said, not even looking at the boy.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

**Sasuke's House **

**- Bedroom -**

Recalling such a moment, made his blood boil. That woman bluntly had told him how weak he was for going to Orochimaru. But in his mind, she didn't need to rub it in any further.

"'Kuso!" He cursed, hitting the wall instead of the mirror.

He looked before him, seeing the damages he inflicted upon a poor defenseless wall. He sighed as he surveyed the destruction.

Loosing control over his emotions was very rare. He shook his head. It wasn't the time to think too much about the past. He only wanted one thing at the moment, and that was to go see his teammate, his … friend.

* * *

**- Hallway -**

As Sasuke expected, his sensei waited for him outside, although he could have passed the opportunity to see him once again with his Icha Icha Paradise in hand.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked, his eyes never once leaving the content of his favorite book.

"Ah …" came Sasuke's usual reply. By now, Kakashi was more than use to this type of answer. Since the 'accident', Sasuke was one to speak even less than he had before going off to meet Orochimaru. Kakashi wasn't sure why, but he suspected it had something to do with Naruto.

"Then follow me," Kakashi replied, closing his book, no longer seeking balance from the wall.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Sure he was used to Kakashi being like this. However, today he felt that his own sensei seemed more serious than his usual way of playing around.

Oh well, wherever the Jounin was bringing him, he would soon know for what reasons and why.

* * *

**Hokage's Tower **

**- Hallway -**

It only took them a few minutes to arrive at their location. Kakashi remained silent, as usual, while Sasuke pondered what awaited him once they reached it. Seeing how they made it to the Hokage's office, this only meant a long argument with the Hokage herself. He only hoped that this time, things would go much smoother than their last encounter.

"By now, you know why I must have brought you here," the Jounin spoke to his student, both standing only meters away from the door.

"Che. If it's another lecture, I'm going back home." Sasuke replied, in his usual, well his old tone of voice. Indifferent.

"Actually, I'm here to get some news about a certain someone, since babysitting you, doesn't give me any other choice but to drag you along with me." Kakashi told him nonchalantly. He knew that by using the word baby-sit, he could anger the Uchiha so easily. Sasuke already hated the idea of being watched over and having limited access to the Village because of his latest adventure.

Sasuke glared up at his teacher. Oh how he hated to be in this god damn situation.

"Now be nice and stay here, Sasuke." The silver-haired man grinned as he patted the boy's head.

"Che. It's not like I have anywhere else to go." Sasuke shot back, crossing his arms.

Kakashi just smiled. "With you, I can never be too careful. After all, you could just leave and go check on Naruto. And that's why I'm leaving him here." He pointed to the Anbu in the corner.

Sasuke cursed to himself as Kakashi made his way within Tsunade's office.

* * *

**- Hokage's Office -**

Kakashi walked in, taking one last glance at his young student before closing the door behind him.

"About time you showed up." Tsunade growled from behind her stack of paperwork.

"Well, I had to make sure that little Sasuke wouldn't escape," Kakashi said respectfully.

"This would be a bad time for him to leave us again. Now, I suppose you're here because you want to know about Naruto's condition," Tsunade wanted to know. Sometimes, Kakashi was easy to read while at other times, he was little more than a perverted rock.

"Hai." Kakashi answered, waiting to be briefed as usual.

* * *

**- Hallway -**

Sasuke glanced around, seeing that the Anbu really wasn't taking him seriously. Actually, the shinobi probably thought that Sasuke wouldn't try anything against an Anbu.

Boy, was that ninja wrong.

Sasuke may have had his hands in his pocket, but his eyes were focused on the Anbu. Seeing how this one totally underestimated him, he knew that tricking him would be easy.

Yet something was odd – and it was bothering the Uchiha. The Anbu seemed to only observe, which was uncommon for them to just stand and watch. And why the hell would Kakashi assign an Anbu. That wasn't like him at all. Ever since leaving the Anbu forces, Kakashi had been somewhat reluctant to work with them. He had told Team Seven that working with the Anbu reminded him too much of people that he had loved and lost, so he preferred never to be around them.

_Sharingan_, he told himself, allowing the swirling crimson to leak into his own obsidian irises.

He observed his temporary caretaker and noticed how this one was very different.

_Kakashi? Did you do that on purpose?_ Sasuke wondered, seeing how this supposed Anbu was nothing more than a Kage Bunshin.

Sasuke dashed forward, punching the fake Anbu member. A loud poof was heard as it instantly disappeared.

Sasuke smirked at the shadow of where the "Anbu" had been.

* * *

- **Hokage's Office -**

Tsunade was about to continue to brief Kakashi when she felt Sasuke's presence simply vanished. Hadn't that boy understood yet that he was already walking on extremely thin ice?

The Hokage prepared herself to walk through that door, seizing the boy before he could escape to God knows where but to her surprise Kakashi blocked her way.

"Kakashi! Move aside!" she ordered him, problem was, he wasn't moving at all. "What's the matter with you? Sasuke's –" She didn't even have time to finish her own sentence when the Jounin grinned under his mask.

"Leaving?" he finished for her, confusing her as to why he had yet reacted to his own student escaping his clutches. After all, he was responsible for the boy and whatever action the brat would take.

"Kakashi. Why aren't you trying to stop…?" Tsunade couldn't even finish her sentence when Kakashi cut her off.

"Sasuke was never one to listen, unless I tied him up against a post." The copy ninja replied, smiling at the woman before him. "Even then, he has been known to ignore my advice."

"Explain yourself. Or I'll make sure you never read those damn books again." She threatened. Everyone knew she had a bad temper, but it could become worse when it involved Naruto.

"Mah mah, no need to go to threatening the good book, Hokage-sama," he teased with a mischievous smile.

"Just spit it out already." Tsunade sighed, slowly massaging her temples. Having a serious talk with this Jounin was always hard, and took a lot of her patience, which she already had so little …

"After seven days, Naruto's condition hasn't improved or worsened since that day when he was brought in. We have tried just about everything we could think of, except for one." Kakashi began to explain. "Uchiha Sasuke." He finally spoke out the name.

"Kakashi. Remember that the reason Naruto's in that hospital, hanging between life and death is because of that heartless brat!" Tsunade spat at the man, glaring at him with such cold eyes.

Kakashi shrugged. "Still, we can't ignore that those two have always had a strange bond, an attachment to each other. Although they call it simply being rivals, deep down, they've considered themselves as friends…" Kakashi told her. Talking about a sensitive subject such as this made it quite hard to make any type of sense. After all, it had been thanks to Obito, that his way of thinking and acting around others changed for the best. He didn't want Sasuke to end up like he had when Obito had died. "To this point, I truly believe that the only thing, no, the only person who can save Naruto is Sasuke himself."

There was a long tense silence before either spoke again.

Kakashi was momentarily lost in the events that led up to the death of his former teammate, Uchiha Obito. Tsunade was questioning whether Kakashi's words were true or not. All of the sudden, she understood the meaning behind them.

"Kakashi." Her tone was no longer as hard and rash as minutes ago, but more, understanding now. "If he does anything, I'll kill him myself. Got it?" She made it pretty clear to him.

"Hai." Such a simple word escaped his hidden lips.

With that last word spoke, Kakashi took his leave. His destination, Konoha's hospital. Sure he trusted his student, but if his little idea actually worked, than he wanted to be present, for both his students. Call it a teacher's pride if nothing else.

* * *

**Konoha Hospital **

**- Outside the hospital-**

Although this was his first time visiting the boy since the first time he was brought in half dead, that is, Sasuke wasn't all that anxious. He just wanted to see his friend, maybe even yell at the blonde for worrying everyone like this.

While he 'escaped' the Hokage's place, he had managed to go undetected by any other shinobi, as well as the staff hospital. The young prodigy had no other choice but to slip inside Naruto's room by the window.

Although Sasuke was confined within his own house, he remembered how one night, Iruka came over, informing Kakashi about Naruto's condition, as well as the few people that visited him daily, just like the hospital staff that didn't always check up on the boy.

Sasuke finally found Naruto's bedroom window, now all was left, is to get inside the room itself.

He looked around, sure he could use chakra and walk vertically on the wall, but that would be too obvious and give out his position if the Hokage sent an Anbu squad on his tail.

Luckily for him, there happened to be a tree tall enough to reach the bedroom, and have access to the window.

* * *

**- Naruto's Bedroom -**

For a change, the room was warm, thanks to the rays of the sun that came through the window slinking past the shade of the tree that Sasuke had used as his entrance. The fact that the curtains were open proved that Iruka had passed by earlier this morning. Sasuke didn't doubt that Iruka had been by to visit everyday. Who knew how long the Chuunin actually spent here, in this cramped hospital room.

The window slowly slid open, making no sound to alert anyone that there was someone outside the room. His entrance didn't go entirely unnoticed, however. When Sasuke first stepped within the room, he sure didn't expect for a certain shinobi to be standing by Naruto's bedside.

"Uchiha-san?" the shinobi spoke softly, but it was noticeable that he was indeed surprised to see the other boy coming in the room through the window.

Sasuke's head shot up, meeting the eyes of the third occupant in the room. Hadn't Iruka told that lazy Jounin how no one visited Naruto? Now being discovered, he was sure to not be able to see or spend even a little time with Naruto now.

He was expecting a Chuunin or a medical personnel to be present, since they called him by Uchiha and not his first name like the other genins usually do (or call him Uchiha-san, for that matter).

Much to his surprise, it wasn't the person he thought, but totally a person he never expected to be there.

"Rock Lee." Sasuke murmured. He was completely in the room now. His eyes darted around, trying to find out if there were any other hidden people.

"You need not to worry about me revealing your presence." Lee stated, clearing up that matter with a smile. Although he didn't know Naruto nor Sasuke that much, with what he saw, he could sense the bond the two shared. It was similar to the strange friendship that existed between Neji and himself.

"I … appreciate that …," Sasuke was never one to really thank others, but Lee understood the message behind those words perfectly. Sasuke reminded Lee a lot of Neji. Both were full of tremendous pride.

"There's been no change in his condition …" Lee informed the other boy, the sadness in his voice could easily be heard. Lee sat back down on the chair, while his eyes rested on Naruto's still form. "I visit him in the afternoons, since Iruka-san has classes, no one else really comes to check up on him."

This caught Sasuke's attention. Didn't many claimed to be the blonde's friend after all? Hadn't all of them been happy when lee had asked the question of visitation rights when they originally were told of Naruto's condition?

"I thought that others would visit," Sasuke whispered, walking towards his teammate's bed. He wished to face Lee while they spoke to each other. It was an old habit of his.

"Chouji is still in intensive care. He did after all take a pill that normally would have killed him. Neji, he's wounds are still pretty bad, but all he has to do is get some rest, but knowing Neji, he's probably tired of doing nothing. Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru, minor injuries, their off duty for the time being, as for Sakura-san, she and Ino spend more time together. " Lee explained, his eyes meeting those of Sasuke.

"Then why didn't they come?" Sasuke demanded an answer. Hell, he had a good reason for not coming, he was a prisoner in his own house! But for the others that weren't in critical condition like Neji and Chouji, it was making the Uchiha quite angry. But worse of all, for Sakura to not even come see her _own_ teammate – that implied that Naruto meant absolutely nothing to her.

"The truth why no one really came, well the hospital staff here, won't let any of us see Naruto." Lee quickly gave the reason, noticing the anger that was building up in the other's eyes.

"What?" Sasuke nearly shouted. He was surprised that they would actually not permit anyone to see Naruto. He was told that for patients that were in comas, having their friends and families sometimes helps them wake up.

"Most likely," Lee confirmed Sasuke's suspicions.

"Then come you're here?" Sasuke was quite curious to how Lee managed to get in, unless it was the same way he did…

"I have yet completely recovered and so Tsunade-sama keeps me in this hospital. My room happens to be the one next to this one. So I have no trouble slipping in here." He smiled. The boy stood up and proceeded towards the door.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looking at Lee's back.

"You don't have to leave on my account," Sasuke told him, walking towards the other genin.

"I've been here for an hour, and I still need to check up on Neji. Besides, I'm sure you two have things to talk about," Lee explained. He turned towards Sasuke and gave his thumbs up with his sparkling smile, Gai style.

"I doubt anything I say to him will make him wake up," Sasuke admitted in a rather low tone of voice, lowering his gaze to the cold floor. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if Naruto slipped even deeper because Sasuke was talking to him. The blonde had to have hated Sasuke. He had every right to.

Lee looked at Sasuke, a grim look on his young face. He stared directly into the other's obsidian eyes as he spoke. "Uchiha-san, me and Iruka have been visiting him for over a week now, and there's no chance, not one movement nor word. We tried everything so far, the more time passes, the more we begin to fear that the curse is the reason for his coma and not the withdrawal from reality." Lee sighed, it was rare for him to be depressed, but Naruto brought out the good in each person he met. He actually missed the yells and the curses at some point that the blond would usually say. "Out of all the people Naruto knows, you've always been able to bring something out of him, that none of us ever managed to, perhaps, you can do it again." Lee spoke his last words before exiting the room quietly, leaving the Uchiha to reflect upon his recent words, which Sasuke did.

The room stayed silent as Sasuke made his way to the chair left by Naruto's bedside. Sitting down, he finally found the courage to look at his teammates face. He looked so pale, sad, almost … dead. Something inside of Sasuke rejected that this being was Naruto, but seeing that face, the more dominant and sensible part of him assured him that this was the boy he knew.

"Naruto …" He whispered the name, his eyes softening upon the sight. Strangely enough, his hand reached out to touch the blonde's face, slowly pushing aside those long blond locks from his closed eyes. "I guess… I really screwed up, huh dobe?"

* * *

* * *

**Inside Naruto**

Naruto laid face first on the blood colored water that tainted the entire floor before Kyubi's cage. His head, tilted towards the fox cage, his eyes filled with nothing more than emptiness. If anyone were to see him here, they would surely have thought that the boy was dead.

"Kit. Stop ignoring me and talk to me." Now there's a phrase you wouldn't hear form the most powerful demon everyday. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't care if the Kyubi _was_ being "nice" to him.

"Don't wanna …" Naruto whispered, closing his eyes while trying to ignore the fox once more.

"Dammit, child!" Now the Kyuubi was pissed. It had been a week since Kyubi had tried to get something out of the boy. He had thought that with a little time, the blonde would get over the fact that now those of his age knew about the boy's burden. However, all that could be said of that wait was that it was all a waste of time.

"I … I don't want to face them … To see the hate in their eyes since now they know …" Naruto mumbled, slowly opening his eyes to notice how close the fox was to the bars in his cage.

"If they really hated you I doubt that ugly green kid would come visit you everyday as well as that scarred-nose teacher of yours. Even that bastard Uchiha is here." The fox growled, glaring at the young broken boy beneath him.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Sasuke..?" he whispered, trying not to break the dream that the possibility of Sasuke's being here brought to him.

"Yeah, he's here right now by your side." Kyubi told him, seeing how it seemed that this one stoic bastard could always captivate Naruto's complete attention.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whined. Without even thinking, Naruto managed to position his body into a sitting position, looking up at the fox. "He probably hates me even more…" His eyes went back down to the cold floor as he mumbled this line.

"Dammit! I did not go through all of that shit, saving your sorry ass so many times for you to coward yourself out into a coma. You're suppose to entertain me, not _annoy_ me." Kyubi let out, really angry.

"But …" Naruto wanted to find some sort of excuse, but didn't have the time to as Kyubi continued.

"If they really despised you, would they bother to come and visit you, while the other stupid humans try to prevent them from doing so? That Iruka guy even threatened that bastard doctor to protect you," Kyubi snapped. Although Naruto was in a coma, he was well aware of what was happening outside the body and could always hear everything.

"Iruka-sensei actually did that?" Naruto was truly surprised. His previous sensei was never a violent man, but sometimes, when someone close to him was in danger, he could turn into a very scary individual.

The Kyubi smiled down at the boy. The blonde truly interested him. He had gotten under Kyubi's skin and now the fox liked to look out for him. "Listen, kit. You're not going to entertain me by staying here. Now get your head out of your ass and wake up! I need some peace and quiet. Frankly, you're better out there than in a dark place like this." Kyubi let the last part in a mumble, but knew that this should be enough to change Naruto's mind.

"But what if it's not that good?" Naruto was really worried about being treated as a demon by his own friends.

"You won't know until you try. BUT if you don't like what's out there, I'll allow you to come back here." Kyubi let out, just whishing that the boy would leave him alone already!

Minutes passed as Naruto really thought about Kyubi's words and now, he knew what he had to do. He slowly stood up, locking eyes with the fox himself.

"I'm going back," Naruto said in his determined-I'm-going-to-be-Hokage voice.

"About time, too." Kyubi teased the boy. "Now go away, I need some sleep."

Naruto finally smiled, razzing the fox. Maybe Kyubi wasn't as bad as everyone thought after all.

* * *

**Konoha Hospital**

**- Naruto's Bedroom -**

Fifteen minutes had passed as Sasuke updated Naruto on the latest news. How he was a prisoner in his own house, how foolish he was for going to Orochimaru. But so far, nothing even made the boy in that bed even flinch.

"You know dobe, out of all the people out there, you're the only one who managed to get past my cold barrier. Funny isn't it?" Sasuke chuckled. He felt like he was talking to a wall. "Well, I'll be checking on you as soon as I can." He stood up as he said this.

Sasuke turned his back to Naruto's sleeping form. Slowly walking towards the door, a strange sound caught his ears. He stopped, turning his attention back on the hospital bed.

The sound wasn't normal. One knew that the room was always silent, aside from the beeping sounds of the machine, which monitored the young boy's heart, as well as the second machine, which made sure he was never deprived of any oxygen.

This sound, was strange, yet extraordinarily familiar.

Sasuke promptly observed the bed, as though he expected the blonde to simply wake up, as though this coma had never happened. Unfortunately, the minutes passed, and the sound once again, disappeared.

Sasuke sighed. For a change, there was one thing he wanted more than avenging his clan, and that was for Naruto to wake up. Then again, it was his own fault and stupidity that caused this incident. Naruto was the only person that got close enough to him, since Itachi murdered his clan.

Sasuke closed his eyes, before heading back to the door. Thinking like this wasn't helping anyone, especially not Naruto. "Sorry, dobe. You may be an idiot and all, but at least you're not a traitor like me."

"_He's leaving, are you really going to let him insult you and get away with it kit?" Kyubi told Naruto._

That strange sound came back for the second time. Sasuke had already reached out and wrapped his hand around the doorknob, when suddenly the sound came back, but there was a slight change. It was louder than before.

The young Uchiha was about to ignore it once more, until a new sound could clearly be heard within the silent room.

"Bastard …," a soft voice murmured on the other side of the room.

Sasuke's eyes widened. There was only one idiot, one person who always called him like that. He quickly turned around, wanting more than ever, to see that this was real, and not another illusion – another dream that his subconscious loved to torture him with.

"Naruto …" Sasuke whispered in a disbelieving tone. What he saw completely surprised him.

Naruto's form still lay across the bed, but the boy's head was turned in Sasuke's direction. Right then and there, half opened, bright blue eyes stared right back into dark ones.

After a long week, Naruto had finally woken up … because he had heard the voice of the one who had always been there for him.

* * *

On a tree branch outside the window, Kakashi smiled with pride for his students. They were growing up and Kakashi was proud to be able to grow up with them.

* * *

Inside the hospital room, two pairs of eyes stared at each other. It was like a photograph: still, unblinking yet full of tumulus emotion that swirled in the air around them.

TBC …

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Well this chapter turned out kinda good in my personal opinion! But I know it's kinda short but it was still good! Again, very sorry for the lack of updates! I'm currently still very in demand at my job, one girl got fired, while the other is at the hospital, so that gives us other girls more hours to work.

_Kyuubi-kun: How the hell can you say this chapter is short? It's twenty-five bloody pages! That's not short… it took me a week to beta…_

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and please let me know if you enjoyed it as well or disliked it in any way. Comments are always good to receive, plus it lets me know that people still like it.

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I got 28 reviews! I'm very happy with this, but know that this story should come to an end within 2 or 3 chapters at most. Once that done, I can either concentrate on my others stories, or begin to write the sequel.

_Kyuubi-kun: YAY! Sequel! ((does a happy dance)) Sequel lurf! Lurf! Lurf! Lurf! La la la la la la la… okay… Kyuu-kun need to stop getting hyper… _

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**_Response to REVIEWS_**

**Ryouseiteki :** I'm glad to find yet another Sakura bashing person. And yes, the fact you new review and give me such great reviews makes me continue whenever I hate time, to update these stories. As for the ending of this story, it will be happy in my opinion. For the sequel, I do intend to make it into yaoi, but my decision isn't yet final, since they are many yaoi haters out there … Hope to hear from you soon and feel free to email me!

**Max Knight :** Just a reminder that I live in Quebec, which equals French language is what surrounds me. Although I am getting better at my English and I have no beta reader either. I think I'm doing much better than some other writers …

**Arbil** : I just plainly don't like her! Sakura doesn't deserve to be with either, Neji, Naruto and Sasuke. Heck not even Kakashi and most of all not Gaara and Itachi! Just to think of some fics where they are involved in those pairings makes me run away lol. The only way I can remotely accept that one of those pairings is if Sakura is in stored for a great deal of pain … So I'll let you in a little thought of mine. I'm currently also working on a story that hopefully people will love to read because in my mind, there will be more than 30 chapters for what I have in mind so far … So let's keep this between us ne?

**Peter Kim** : You can so read me like an open book! Indeed, the sequel will have Itachi make his appearance. I will also take into consideration about Konohomaru learning of Naruto's deep secret.

**Rubymoon17** : Ah for the Sakura bashing, I'm working on a new story that will well portray my hate for her all too well, so for all those Sakura bashing fans out there, hopefully they'll like it once it's posted.

**Spellcasterz and InuSaiyan:** Have no fears! Sakura won't be paired with anyone unless I got something really bad in stored for her! And I've taken into consideration about the sequel having the pairing SasukeNaruto in it since people have been giving me their opinion about them.

To the rest of you dear and so cherished reviewers Thanks for giving me your opinions and I hope you also forgive me for the lack of updates! But working 7 stories is kinda hard when you need to work and go to school. But know this, I'll NEVER abandon a fic, unless I suddenly die. Either than that, I'll keep writing.

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Next Chapter :

Dunno! I have no clue where this fi is going anymore lol.

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Thanks for all those that reviewed!

Read and REVIEW!

Until next time!

Ookima

_**PS : Thanks again Kyuubi-kun for helping me out! Check out her stories, they're the best out there.**_


	10. Awakening

**Chapter Synopsis :** Naruto is finally awake, but now he has a lot of explaining to do, especially to a certain Uchiha.

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_Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto. Would be fun if I did though._

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Previously … 

Sasuke was a prisoner of his own house, that was until Kakashi decided it was time to meet with the Hokage. Unknown to him, Kakashi purposely let the boy escape, in hopes that he would be able to wake up Naruto. Upon his arrival, he meets up with Rock Lee, who fills him in on what the hospital staff has been doing since the blond boy has been in a coma. Time passed and the Uchiha gives up, saying his goodbyes to the sleeping boy when he hears a certain word. "_Bastard"_. It seems Naruto had finally come out of his coma.

* * *

Chapter 10 : Awakening…

* * *

After what happened this morning, Iruka thought best to go directly to the Hokage herself and discuss the matter with her. All that he could hope for, is that Tsunade had some free time today to take care of the matter. Since the incident of last week, her duties kept her occupied, protecting this Village, its residents from any outside attacks.

He finally stood in front of the Hokage's door, tightening his grip around the doorknob he turned and pushed. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he forgot to even knock.

"Iruka?" Tsunade spoke his name softly. There she stood, right next to her desk still full of paperwork to read and sign.

"I'm sorry, I was hoping to talk with you about something." He said, gently closing the door behind him.

Even thought they were meters away from each other, she could see the young Chuunin was tired, especially with those dark pouches under his eyes. To much his surprise, Tsunade walked towards him.

"Are you getting enough rest?" She asked him, placing her hand on his forehead. With what happen to Naruto and all, the poor guy was under a lot of stress and he was still teaching at school.

"I'm alright Tsunade-sama." He gently smiled at her. Sure he was tired, but what took most of his energy is those damn doctors and nurses. "I wanted to speak to you about Naruto."

"Has his condition changed?" She quickly asked, hoping that was the case. She really missed having that loud-mouthed brat around and calling her by her nickname.

"No, I'm sorry." He hadn't meant to give false hope to begin with, it just got out the wrong way. "It's about he medical personal in charge of taking care of Naruto." He started.

Tsunade relaxed, sitting on the edge of her long table and her hands spread evenly, supporting her weight.

"You might want to supervise him yourself, or even Shizune. Move him in here. Anything then leaving him in that place with those monsters." He unintentionally lashed out to the Hokage.

"Iruka I don't have the time to…" She couldn't even finish her sentence when Iruka bluntly cut her off.

"Then make time." It wasn't a suggestion at all, it was an order, one she was better not to refuse him.

"Iruka.." She tried again, but failed.

"They keep calling him names! Insult him and so on. It wasn't enough that they were attacking him verbally when he was awake now they do it when he's so vulnerable! I don't even think they let anyone visit him at all. I barely got through this morning!" He yelled, his fists tightly closed on themselves.

Tsunade thought best to let silence take over for a few minutes before finally answering the young Chuunin's questions.

"I'll do something about this tonight." She began, when she noticed that he was about to yet again, interrupt her.

She raised her hand, and he stayed silent.

"In the mean time, you stay with him until I can get there and make the proper arrangements." She reassured him, giving him a softer gaze.

"And what happens if the medical personnel get in my way?" He asked. He wasn't the kind of person to be violent or anything, usually he could talk himself out of situations and not resort to using violence.

She smiled. "You have the Hokage's permission to put them back into their place." Surely knowing this would reassure the poor Chuunin. "Until then, I will see you later." She walked right back behind her desk, taking her rightful place in the chair, to sign and read more boring mission reports.

Iruka showed his appreciation, before taking his leave from the office. His next stop was to visit his favorite little student at the hospital and hope that things would get better.

* * *

Blue eyes locked onto black eyes.

Naruto had finally came out of his coma, but now that he was awake, neither knew quite what to say. They both had a lot to talk about and many things to clear out, but neither dared to take the first step. Good thing for Sasuke that Naruto always said something stupid to break such silences.

"What brings your sorry ass in here?" The blond grinned, knowing how to rub Sasuke the right way. Although his vision was still blurry, he didn't miss that smart ass smirk of his rival standing across the hospital room.

Just when Sasuke was about to shoot back a reply to that comment, he noticed the blond significantly tremble. The blond tried to hide any signs that he was suffering, judging it was best to simply roll back into his original position. Flat on his back and staring up to that boring white ceiling.

Without even realizing it, the young Uchiha walked slowly towards the bed, getting a much closer look at his friend's wounds. Naruto was one to usually light up a room, but a dark aura lurked around him this time. The boy was covered in bandages that needed to be changed.

"I'll go get…" Somehow, it was as though Naruto just knew what he was about to tell him.

"Don't. It's not like they care anyway…" The blond let out, letting his eyes rest on a more peaceful view. Outside.

"Because of the Kyubi?" Sasuke slipped out. It wasn't his intention. The fact was, the subject had been constantly on his mind ever since they learned the truth about Naruto and Kyubi.

But at the word Kyubi, Naruto's blue eyes desperately stared into Sasuke's. The young Uchiha could barely describe what he felt when his eyes locked into those of his friend. The desperation, the sadness, the same feeling, the same look in the eyes, that he had when he woke up the next morning. To only learn that his family, his entire clan had been killed by his own brother. He wanted nothing more than to die. And right now, that's how Naruto felt…

"I forgot that you now knew about him…" He broke the silence, returning his gaze toward the outside skies. "I can handle the adults knowing, but not them." He referred to his classmates.

"I know what you mean." He softly spoke. After the Uchiha clan was massacred by his own brother, the adults all knew the truth behind it, while the children only knew what they were told, which wasn't much.

A glimmer of hope appeared into Naruto's eyes. Those two had more in common than any other children of their age. Growing up without parents, left alone to survive in this horrible world, with the knowledge that the actions of what one did, will forever be intertwined with your own life.

"You know what sucks the most?" He asked, but didn't bother to wait for an answer. He knew Sasuke wasn't one to pry into other people's businesses. "I didn't even know about Kyubi until last year."

The boy ruffled his wounded hand through his thick blond locks and let out a sigh. Ever since he learned about the Kyubi being inside of him, Naruto had never once talked about it to anyone, not even his former teacher, Iruka. He was good at hiding his true feelings, but now that the cat was out of the bag, he might as well let it all out now.

"What?" Sasuke was more than surprise to hear this. He could understand why the younger generations weren't told but to not tell the person that was the carrier. It was just plain stupid!

"Funny isn't it?" He laughed. "I remember growing up all alone, the adults glaring at me, whispering among themselves each time I was in the neighborhood. How kids would avoid me, pick on me just because their parents told them too. And I never knew why…"

"Naruto…" Sasuke softly spoke. He had never seen Naruto this broken down before.

"Dammit." Naruto spat out, gripping his left arm. Despite the accumulated anger he felt, it wasn't enough to dull the pain from all his wounds.

Sasuke leaned closer and did something neither of them expected.

"Let me help." Sasuke told him.

He gently removed the bloody bandage off Naruto's left arm. He then searched into the nightstand for new sterilized bandages to take care of that bloody arm. Amazingly enough, Naruto just laid there and let Sasuke bandage him up good.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. But aren't you a fast healer?" He asked, finishing his job. He was curious since all the fights they were in, Naruto always healed faster than anyone he knew.

"I don't heal fast." Naruto answered, moving up in his bed to get into a sitting position. "Kyubi does all the healing." He corrected. Even he found it strange that he could talk openly about the Kyubi like this. For some reason, around Sasuke, he felt like that boy could understand his pain.

"So all those times. Even when you tried to stop me?" It wasn't a question, it was more like making sure he was understanding it all.

"Yeah, he helps even when he doesn't want to." He smiled. Many times he had asked the fox for help and the demon always turned him down at first. But with his loudmouth, in the end the fox always gave in.

"You're telling me you control that demon? I find that hard to believe." The other boy said. Kyubi was known to be among the greatest demons of all time, surely a 13 year old boy could never control him like he was but a domestic pet.

"Not control." The blond specified. "He'll only help if it means his survival or if it entertains him."

"How do you know all that?" He was curious. If this demon was supposedly sealed away for good, how could he still access it?

"The seal has a few flaws in it…" He started, pausing to take a few more breath. "The seal works similar to the curse that snake bastard gave you."

Just hearing that, Sasuke couldn't help but shoot a deadly glare towards his friend. Orochimaru promised him power, just enough so he could defeat his brother and avenge his clan once and for all. But what the snake forgot to mention, was his intention of transferring his soul and using Sasuke like a puppet. His lust for revenge truly clouded his judgment.

"Guess it's another thing we have in common. We both hate our curses." Naruto lowered his head, he was beginning to get tired.

* * *

From outside, Kakashi had the best seat. His hunch was right after all. Sasuke's presence pulled Naruto out of his coma. But he knew that the boy wasn't out of the woods yet. According to Tsunade's last visit, Naruto's chakra system was barely functioning. He was living most likely because of Kyubi, the problem was to know how much chakra the fox had left. And would it be enough to sustain both lives?

"_Doctor, he's here again." A nurse spoke below, unaware that the Jounin was hiding above, in the tree._

The doctor moved closer to the nurse, his eyes setting on the shinobi making his way into the hospital main entrance.

"_Dammit. Can't that guy be like the rest of us.?" The doctor commented. Truly the only adult that gave a damn about that monster was the that teacher of his._

Upon hearing such things, Kakashi was quite intrigued that despite Tsunade's best effort to give a good environment for his student, some adults never quite get the message. So maybe this was the perfect time to make them understand.

* * *

Back in the hospital room, Naruto explained to Sasuke clearly how both their curse reacted and went to their full destructive power when either were in a very high emotional state. The fox liked to come out and play at critical moments, such as the fight in the forest of death that including the first encounter with Orochimaru, the battle on the bridge against Haku, when Naruto thought Sasuke had died.

"That old Sennin could always completely seal off Kyubi's chakra, but by doing that, we're not sure what the consequences would be." He finished, he was actually surprised that Sasuke sat there and listened to every word without once interrupting. "So now you know just about everything about Kyubi and me."

Sasuke couldn't help but feel sad for the boy. He had suffered throughout his entire existence and unfortunately, more would come. All that depended on the genins that were slightly informed of the situation. Some would still respect Naruto, maybe even more, while others would turn out like the adults. He was brought back into reality when a hand wrapped itself around his wrist, and deep blue eyes locked into his.

"All that's left, is the connection to your brother, Itachi." Naruto continued, with a dead serious look in his eyes. He knew that was what pushed Sasuke over the edge and the reason why he even considered to join Orochimaru.

If there was one thing that angered Sasuke, it was just to mention the name of his older brother.

Uchiha Itachi.

* * *

After a brief confrontation with that doctor and nurse, Kakashi had met up with Iruka and now they were on their way to visit the comatose Naruto. Iruka was still unaware that Naruto's condition had finally changed.

The Jounin placed a hand on the teacher's shoulder, preventing him from opening the door to Naruto's bedroom.

"Iruka, we should wait outside until they are finished talking." The Jounin pointed out. But that only earned him a confused look from Iruka.

"What are you talking about?" Iruka asked, pausing from turning the doorknob.

"You're loosing your touch as a shinobi Iruka-chan." Kakashi teased the young man. He couldn't help but play games sometimes to entertain himself.

"Don't you ever get tired of playing those games?" Iruka sighed, how he hated it when that man played mind games.

"I'll give you a clue." The copy-cat smiled underneath his mask. "He's Naruto's age and he broods a lot."

Iruka eyed the Jounin, more so thinking he had gone crazy.

"Tsunade-sama gave him to me to supervise." Kakashi gave another clue. Now surely Iruka would figure this one out.

"Sasuke." The name slipped out. At first Iruka didn't understand, but as the seconds passed now he understood. "Where is Sasuke?" Now he was worried.

Kakashi merely shrugged it off, pointing to Naruto's bedroom.

"What?" He raised his voice. "You let him go in there?"

"Not exactly, I actually told him to sit and wait while I was talking to the Hokage, but he decided to take a run and come here." He resumed his prodigy's escape.

"Are you crazy?" Iruka yelled at him.

"Maybe. But in any case, it was good." He replied in a joyful tone.

"How can it be good?" Either way, Naruto was in a coma, mostly because of Sasuke's actions to leave and betray Konoha.

"Because now Naruto's awake. So before you charge in there, let the boys talk out their problems. Neh?" Kakashi smiled again.

Iruka was shocked. Shocked that Kakashi let Sasuke escape in the first place and angry that he didn't tell him about Naruto waking up! He wanted nothing more than to rush into the room now and see for himself how his former student was doing.

"10 minutes and then I'm going in and you better not stop me." Iruka warned the Jounin. He would give time for the boys to talk but not that much. And if the Jounin knew what was good for him, he was better to listen and move out of the way when the time is up.

"Hai, hai." Kakashi agreed. Really, Iruka could be just as protective as a mother hen.

The two waited, leaning against the opposite wall for the 10 minute marker to reach zero before going in and check on both boys. But while the teacher rested his eyes, Kakashi was already reading the latest edition of his favorite book. But he did not miss the shadow that lurked around the corner…

* * *

"Any news yet?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto kneeled before the figure in front of him.

"So he's dead." He smiled. Finally that damn kyubi brat was out of his way. Now he could go fetch Sasuke in peace and knew that the boy wouldn't resist him for long.

"Actually, our spy reported otherwise…" Kabuto almost whispered. The moment those words came out of his mouth, he knew that his master wouldn't be too pleased and he would be the first one to suffer the consequences.

Orochimaru leaned forward from his chair.

"What?" The snake hissed. Surely he had misunderstood.

"Naruto-kun pulled through." He answered, keeping his eyes focused on the floor. He could already feel the anger his master was feeling just by hearing him speak.

"Then we'll have to do something about that won't we?" Orochimaru let out, an evil grin plastering his lips.

TBC …

* * *

**I finally updated. Thanks to those who continue to encourage me, because since the past few months, my interest in the Anime Naruto itself has become less and less interesting because of all those stupid fillers and the story doesn't seem to be moving forward, well for me anyway. I'm trying to get back into it, but it's hard to write something when you're less interested. God knows what the creator has in mind, but in my personal opinion, with Sasuke no longer present, makes me sad and angry. **

**I will continue my stories, some will update faster now that 2 of my 10 stories are nearing the end. **

**Continue to show your support!**

**Ookima**


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